Unknown Boychukist: Towards the reconstruction of the artistic environment and artistic heritage of Yevhen Sytnianskyi

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to reconstruct the biography, artistic environment, and selected features of the artistic heritage of Yevhen Ivanovych Sytnianskyi (1907–1937) as a little-studied representative of Ukrainian art of the 1920s and 1930s, as well as to determine the nature of his connection with the Boychukist tradition and the artistic environment of Kyiv in the first third of the twentieth century.

The research methods include source studies analysis of the materials from Yevhen Sytnianskyi's family archive, as well as biographical, art-historical, formal-stylistic, comparative, and contextual methods. The application of these methods made it possible to compare documentary, visual, and material sources from the archive with published studies and information concerning the artistic, museum, and art-historical environment of Kyiv in the 1920s and 1930s.

The scientific significance of the research lies in introducing into scholarly circulation a collection of previously insufficiently studied materials from Yevhen Sytnianskyi's family archive, which makes it possible to expand knowledge of his biography, professional contacts, and artistic practice. Of particular importance is the reconstruction of the artistic environment in which the artist developed, as well as the clarification of the problem of his relationship to the Boychukist tradition, taking into account not only stylistic analogies but also documented professional and cultural connections.

The results of the study demonstrate that the preserved family archive, comprising approximately 400 items, constitutes an important source for reconstructing Yevhen Sytnianskyi's life and artistic career. The analysis of documents, photographs, drawings, paintings and graphic works, postcards, and personal belongings has made it possible to trace particular aspects of his professional development within the Kyiv artistic milieu. The study establishes the artist's connections with Mykola Moloshtanov, Fedir (Eduard) Nirod, Danylo and Vadym Shcherbakivskyi, as well as other representatives of Kyiv's cultural environment. Specific features of Sytnianskyi's artistic language have been identified, including the use of generalized forms, planar composition, rhythmic organization, and decorative qualities. The study substantiates the need for a critical approach to defining the artist as a “Boychukist,” since this concept requires a distinction between documented professional connections, possible artistic influences, and formal-stylistic parallels.

Conclusions. The reconstruction of Yevhen Sytnianskyi's artistic heritage on the basis of the family archive and other available sources contributes to restoring this little-studied figure to the history of Ukrainian art of the first third of the twentieth century. The identified materials expand the understanding of the artistic environment of Kyiv in the 1920s and 1930s and outline further directions for studying the artist's legacy. The question of his relationship to the Boychukist tradition requires further comprehensive investigation based on archival documents, formal-stylistic analysis of his works, and the broader historical and cultural context.