DOLLS OF THE MEZHYGIRSKY VERTEP IN THE CREATIVITY OF ARTISTS-BOICHUKISTS OF THE 1920 S

Abstract

The purpose is to identify the artists and sculptors involved in the design of theatrical puppets and the development of the Mezhyhirsk Nativity Scene repertoire, and to outline the list of the latter's characters, characterize their stylistic and artistic-figurative features within the framework of avant-garde scenography.
Results. So, the Mezhyhirsk Nativity Scene puppet theater was founded in the fall of 1923 on the initiative of the political instructor, representative of the People's Commissariat of Education, and art critic Pavlo Horbenko. It was supported by the head of the institution Vasyl Sedlyar, sculptor, professor Yevhen Sahaidachny, and student activists 3 Ilko Zaika, Mykola Tsivchynsky, Dmytro Holovko.
Most likely, in addition to Yevhen Sahaidachny, Vasyl Sedlyar's wife Oksana Pavlenko and Mykhailo Boychuk's wife Sofia Nalepynska-Boychuk were involved in the development of graphic sketches of the nativity scene puppets.
The choice of characters was based on a synthesis of the active figures of medieval mysteries and traditional Ukrainian folk nativity scenes (such as God, Tsar, Archangel, Pastor, representatives of various professions and people from the common people). But to spite the day, they were supplemented with foreign heroes, mostly famous capitalists, interpreted, albeit with humor and sarcasm, but mostly with a negative connotation.
Among them are MacDonald (Ramsey MacDonald), Lord Curzon (George Curzon), sometimes he was passed off as Chamberlain, French diplomat (Paul Deschanel), American representative (Hugo Stinnes), General Ludendorff (Erich Ludendorff), Occasional diplomat (Woodrow Wilson), Occasional capitalists (Gustav Stresemann, Raymond Poincaré), some of whom were identified by the theater as political world figures of the 1920s in the last decade.
In total, during the years 192331924, while the Moscow Art Theater troupe existed, about 30 nativity dolls were designed (21
are available, several are known from photos, 1 from a graphic design, 1 blank), and 7 heads for them, made of wood based on
prototypes of African sculpture with enlarged, exaggerated, mostly in a cubist-futuristic avant-garde manner with recognizable facial features, as well as 1 plywood nativity house (30 items in total). The latter was designed as a one-story one, because in it the authors tried to equalize sacred and profane images. In addition, a white canvas was stretched in front of the «shopka» (nativity scene), behind which the characters of the Far Eastern shadow theater were demonstrated, which complemented the performances. The house was made according to the memoirs of M. Tsivchinsky, a local Mezhyhirya master under his leadership, and the production of dolls was directly related to prof. E. Sahaidachny and the above-mentioned representatives of the student community.
Thus, these future artists of ceramics and heating engineering developed a repertoire of puppet nativity scenes, including individual mise-en-scenes and plays. They were tested on residents of villages near Mezhyhirya 3 Novy and Stary Petrivtsy, as well as Gostomel, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Pryluky, Kharkiv, performing before Red Army soldiers in garrisons, peasants, townspeople in culture clubs and various reading rooms. Textile clothing for dolls was selected removable, some characters were somehow reshaped, transformed.
Research methodology. The study used the following scientific tools: the principle of scientific reconstruction, art history and culturology approaches, ontological, axiological, hermeneutic, historical-genetic, historical-chronological, comparative, socio-cultural, typological, iconographic and method of analysis of works of art.
Novelty. The novelty of the study lies in the clarification of information about the author of the idea of creating the Mezhyhirsk Nativity Scene, the artistic characters of this theater, and the house The practical significance. The results obtained make it possible to comprehend the sources of inspiration for individual cubo-futuristic searches for the scenography of avant-garde forms of dolls of the Mezhyhirsk Nativity Scene of 192331924. and to realize its historical, cultural and art-historical significance among the invaluable heritage of the Boychukists, as a whole layer of the «Shooted Renaissance» of Ukraine of the early 20 th century, and to reassess it taking into account the high assessment of Mykhailo Starytsky's granddaughter Iryna Steshenko, representatives of the «Berezil» theater, in particular Les Kurbas, etc.