2. Thesis for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in specialty 034 «Cultural Studies». Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University, Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. – Kyiv, 2024.
In the research improved the interpretation of the term "painting program of an Orthodox church", which is presented as a complex of interconnected iconographic plots that reflect the spiritual and cultural values of Orthodoxy, as well as the historical and cultural traditions of a specific region, and is built according to the principles inherent in the organization of cultural space (for example, architectural, hierarchical). As for the author’s proposed classification of programs for the painting of Orthodox churches, she divides them according to the level of complexity into simple, programs of medium complexity and complex programs, taking into account the number of levels of "upper" and "lower" painting, as well as by content, namely by the number of topics that are used in the painting of the temple. The work proposes a classification of sacred symbols that are found in the paintings of Orthodox churches in Eastern Ukraine. It is proposed to divide the symbolic signs of modern Ukrainian monumental church painting into the following types: personifying, liturgical, apocalyptic, mystical, abstract-spiritualistic, decorative, landscape and symbolic elements. The work analyzes the use of the most/least common iconographic subjects in the paintings of Orthodox churches in eastern Ukraine. In the specified period, interest in early Christian symbolism and its interpretation is observed. Among the symbolic images, "apocalyptic" signs are quite common, carrying the semantics of the end of time and the Second Coming of Christ. The study showed that in the monumental paintings of Orthodox churches in the east of Ukraine from the 20th century to the beginning of In the 21st century, general trends characteristic of the painting of Orthodox churches of this historical period, built both on the territory of Ukraine and on the territory of other countries (the emphasized importance of the dedication of the church, interest in early Christian symbolism, Byzantine icon painting style and frescoes, the influence of the visual turn on church art), as well as the individual features inherent in the temples of this region, are connected, first of all, with the creative decisions of icon painters and customers in drawing up painting programs. The dome and the altar of the Orthodox church were considered by the author as not identically sacred parts of it and at the same time the most sacred temple spaces, which is reflected in the programs of their paintings. The work also compared the structure of the painting program of the Orthodox church and the hierarchy of Christian ethical values. The hierarchy of temple painting can be compared with the hierarchy of Christian virtues. The idea of spiritual improvement and ascent from one virtue to another is emphasized by the multi-level painting of the temple and the meaningfulness of each level. The study showed that it is the "lower" part of the temple that reflects the fusion of spiritual and religious traditions, cultural influences and the individual creative vision of the artist, creating a personal spiritual atmosphere of the temple, it is always distinguished by the variety of the choice of subjects, both in the paintings of temples and in the paintings of chapels. In the work, the systematic study of programs of painting of Orthodox churches of Ukraine and the study of the peculiarities of the perception of the painting styles of the Orthodox church in the context of the influence of visual culture received further development. The use of one or another style in the painting of an Orthodox church can affect not only the perception of the images themselves, but also the formation of the worldview of the person who is in the church.
