А- Hi! В — Hi! I know that you attended an art lecture last Sunday. Сan you tell me about it? А — Yes of course. It was interesting when the teacher was talking about the icon-painting. It began to develop in Kyevanskaya Rus in the 10th century, after Prince Vladimir had baptised state. Icon painters are the mostly monks of Christ, the Virgin, angels and saints. В — It was very interesting. I had learned about the mosaic and frescoes of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyev, that was one of the most distinguished among the memorials of that period. А — You're right. For comparison portrait painting as a separate genre appeared during the Renaissance and it was strongly influenced by the icon tradition. В — I know that Taras Shevchenko was considered as the father of modern Ukrainian painting. He painted numerous portraits, self-portraits and landscapes with many architectural monuments of Ukraine. During the 19th century landscape painting appeared as a separate genre, and not only in the works of Shevchenko. А — At that time Ukraine was called East European Italy. Artists from Russia and European countries visited Ukraine to enrich themselves with new themes and images. В — What do you know about impressionism and the avant-garde tendencies? А — They were the leading European art trends that Ukrainian art on the verge of the turn of the 20th century could not avoid. В — I heard that an original phenomenon of the early 20th century was Mykhailo Boichuk Art School. It combined the traditions of folk picture, local primitive painting and the principles of religion art. А — So, we conclude, that present-day Ukrainian art was developing in harmony with world art. National theme remains topical in painting — in thematic and historical pictures, landscapes, associative and formalistic works.
