Sumy Regiment Iconostases of the First Half of the 18th Century
Authors:   Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, Shulika Viacheslav 
Published: May 2023

The study of the iconostases of Slobidska Ukraine in the 17th century made it possible to establish that the altar septums in different regiments of Slobozhanshchina had their own specific features. Three groups of iconostases were discovered: Sumy-Ostrogozhska, Kharkiv-Izyumska and Okhtyrska. Despite the general similarity of the iconostases of Slobozhanshchina at different historical stages, each had its own peculiarities in the solution of the altar septums. Despite the small amount of visual material, it can be argued that in the first half of the 18th century, the Sumy group of monuments retains some common features of the group: the general composition of the iconostasis (the iconostasis of the Church of the Transfiguration in Mezhirich), the figures of the local tier are cut to the middle of the thigh (icons from the Church of Resurrection in Lebedyn), the archetectural decision of the deesis tier, where the apostles were depicted one by one on separate boards (an icon from the village Ulanok). But innovations also appear: the image of the apostles in the deesis tier, two apostles depicted together on one board, the image of the Tree of Jesse on the Royal Doors, throne images of figures in the local tier (the iconostasis of the Church of the Transfiguration in Mezhirich), the use of a round sculpture with a crucifixion scene, which crowned it (Mikhailivsk Hermitage near Lebedyn). At the beginning of the 18th century the decoration of icons and iconostases changed significantly. The Slobozhanshchina iconostases of the 17th century used a wide range of manneristic ornamentation, while in the first half of the 18th century the mannerist decorative trim changed to baroque floral decor. The decor of acanthus leaves and the motif grape bunches dominated in the iconostases of the Sumy group at that time. From the second third of the 18th century the decoration of icons and altar septums of Slobozhanshchina is gradually occupied by decorative elements of the rococo style. In the iconostases of the Sumy group, this is, first of all, the motif of the oblique lattice and rocaille. young masters from the capital, who, having visited Europe, managed to get acquainted with the processes taking place there. The novelty of their techniques affected not only planning, approaches to decorative design, the introduction of new subjects, changes in the technology of wall painting, but also, which was in line with the spirit of the times, in the appeal to stylization, as one of the basic principles of Art Nouveau. Artists who worked on murals in Kharkiv churches (M. Pestrikov, I. Svyatenko, A. Sokol, P. Kryuchkov) mainly extended the line in sacred painting, founded by V. Vasnetsov in the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv in 1885– 1896. Somewhat aloof are only fragmentarily preserved paintings by A. Savinov in the Church of the Transfiguration in Natalevka. However, there were other trends, as evidenced by the symbolist projects for the murals of the house church of Yuzefovich’s printing house in Kharkiv. New documentary materials are introduced into scientific circulation, in particular, photos of church murals that have survived to this day.