Portraiture in Ukrainian figurative art of the 16-18th centuries: June 22nd, 2024

Did you know that portrait painting is the oldest form of secular art in Ukraine and that it dates back to the 4th century AD? Various burial sites at the ruins of Chersonesus Taurica, on the territory of present-day Ukraine, have revealed this. In the 10th century, after Prince Volodymyr had baptised the state, icon-painting began to develop in Kyivan Rus. And secular portrait painting, which was strongly influenced by the icon tradition, appeared as a separate genre during the Renaissance in the 16th century.

Distinguished by their decorativeness, and lavish colours, portraits of the 16th to 18th centuries included images of nobles, church patrons, peasant leaders and Cossack chiefs. Wealthy families often commissioned portraits, and their memorial images could even be found on wood or metal attached to their coffins or on banners at funerals.

Learn more about the interesting evolution of portraiture in Ukraine, join us for an in-depth talk by leading scholar, Professor of Fine Arts, Olha Shkolna, of the Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University.