Lviv school of design of the environment 1919-1944: Theoretical principles and their
implementation
Authors: Biryulov Yury 
Published: November 2023

Formulation of the problem. Teaching the design of
the environment, as well as practical achievements
in this field of artistic creativity of teachers, students
and graduates of Lviv National akademy of arts, have
a thorough basis. Lviv school design of interiors has

a long history, and the chair of design of the envi-
ronment of Lviv National akademy of arts is the heir

to the traditions and achievements of several gen-
erations of Lviv artists. It is important to reveal the

process of formation in Lviv artistic design educa-
tion, the theoretical foundations of the artistic or-
ganization of the subject environment surrounding

a person, to identify and compare historical levels in
the development of works, their technological and
stylistic changes in time, investigate the relationship
between different artistic techniques and options
design at different stages.
Analysis of recent research and publications.
Important is the study of Alexander Noha on the
theme of the Lviv design school. In his book 2001
“Ukrainian art-industrial ceramics in Galicia (1840-

1940)” is considered a period of birth and develop-
ment of industrial design in Lviv [16]. Architecture and

design of public spaces in the structure of historical
residential building of Lviv on the verge of the XIX-XX
centuries became the object of scientific research in
articles and in the candidate’s thesis Olga Lysenko
[12]. A number of works of design of the Lviv Art déco
1920-1930’s was analyzed by Anna Bantsekova in the
catalog of the exhibition in 2001 “Art déco in Lviv” [5].
Marta Makovetska in article 2016 trailed trends in the
decoration of premises (especially furniture) in the
Ukrainian folk style in Lviv of interwar time [13].
The analysis of the source base revealed that to
date no comprehensive study of the development of

the Lviv school of subject-spatial environment de-
sign has been carried out. This problem requires a

multifaceted and synthetic approach.

The purpose of the article: to consider the form-
ing factors, the theoretical principles of the Lviv

design of the environment and their practical im-
plementation in 1872-1944, introduce new facts to

scientific space, surnames of artists and their works.

Study Results. For the first time there is a com-
prehensive scientific study of the stylistic evolution

of the Lviv design of the subject-spatial environment
– from the neo-styles of historicism to secession (art
nouveau), art déco and functionalism. The universal
essence of the secession provided it gradually, but
continuously growing coverage of various types of

creativity and became one of the main formative fac-
tors of a subject-spatial design in the capital of Gali-
cia at the beginning of the twentieth century. If the

art déco to some extent continued decorative trends

of secession, then functionalism has shown the de-
sire for a new approach to organizing the design

space. The artists began to refuse abundant decor
in favor of a clear constructive basis and restrained
coloring, to emphasize the compositional-rhythmic
construction of geometric volumes and planes.

The article reveals the formative factors of the de-
sign of the environment, illuminates the regularities

of the emergence and establishment of artistic and
design education and practical activities in this area

of the creativity. The emergence of theoretical prin-
ciples of artistic design in Lviv is shown, starting with

articles and public speeches of Julian Zachariewicz.

The history of Lviv design of the environment is sys-
tematized, in many aspects the works of individual

artists of different nationalities are analyzed, their
previously unknown works, which are introduced

into scientific circulation for the first time, are re-
vealed. In particular, the creative work in the field of

design of W. Sadłowski, A. Zachariewicz, I. Levynsky

and his followers, T. Obmiński, M. Olszewski, T. Wró-
bel, Z. Sperber is studied.

Getting to know the achievements of leading

European art centers, Lviv design school has main-
tained its independence and originality. The pecu-
liarity of its representatives was the complexity of

the polyethnic structure, the multilayer of the top-
ics and motives (the sources of which were diverse

aspects of national life and the tradition of everyday

life) and in the use of the treasury of regional cul-
tural achievements. Thus, numerous exhibitions of

Ukrainian manufacturers of the period 1919-1939
showed a high level of Ukrainian designer opinion
and active searches for national identity on the basis

of traditional folk material culture and in the direc-
tion of the formal system of art déco.

Conclusions. The analysis of creativity of artists
of the Lviv school design of the environment showed

Юрій Бірюльов

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Львівська школа дизайну середовища 1919–1944 рр.: теоретичні засади та їх втілення

its artistic integrity, revealed a large socio-cultural

and artistic significance of objects of subject-spa-
tial design of the period of 1872-1944.The historical

change of styles in the design of public and residen-
tial interiors of Lviv, the formative factors of design,

the achievements of teachers and graduates of the

Artistic and industrial school are considered. Until re-
cently, the existing idea of the Lviv art of design was

significantly supplemented, and new facts and works
were introduced into scientific circulation.