COVERAGE OF THE TOPIC OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN THE FINE ARTS OF UKRAINE THROUGH THE PRISM OF FOREIGN EXPERIENCE

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyse the main moments of the development of nuclear art in the visual arts of Ukraine in the context of foreign experience and rethinking nuclear fear.
Research methodology. Foreign publications on the impact of nuclear culture on society, art and pop culture have been analysed. Also, domestic publications on the study of nuclear energy in Ukrainian mosaic panels of the twentieth century, and modern interpretation and cultural rethinking of the events of the 1986 Chornobyl disaster were considered.
Results. The invention and development of nuclear energy has had a significant impact on the formation of the global cultural paradigm. In particular, humanity has long experienced «nuclear fear» because it feared a nuclear war. The beginning of the atomic era did not escape the attention of artists who expressed their feelings in their artworks, rethinking their nuclear fear or, on the contrary, their fascination with the «atom». In turn, public sentiment was reflected in popular culture through comics, literature, cinema, etc. In Ukraine, the image of nuclear energy was portrayed through monumental art. Thus, future generations have inherited many remarkable works of that time – mosaic panels by the best artists dedicated to nuclear power, which impress with their scale and picturesque execution. One of the world's worst environmental and man-made disasters, the Chornobyl accident, gave Ukrainian society a fresh look at nuclear safety and the fragile attitude to the environment. However, the revival of humanity's interest in nuclear issues in 2022 is unfortunately associated with the most intense escalation since the last century and a full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war.
Novelty. In the Ukrainian cultural space, the issue of the impact of nuclear energy on the visual arts remains poorly understood and unsystematic, despite the deep cultural implications of the issue, which fully affects the contemporary society of Ukraine. The article attempts to explore the representations of nuclear energy in the visual arts of Ukraine through the
prism of foreign culture.
The practical significance. The information contained in this article may be useful for Ukrainian researchers studying the development of atomic culture in the fine arts.