Masters of plein air painting in Odesa: Viktor Zhurakovkyi (1928–2001), Pavlo Makedonskyi (1967)

Abstract

The article examines the works of Odesa artists Viktor Zhurakovskyi (1928–2001) and Pavlo Makedonskyi (1967) in the context of European plain air painting. Historical, culturological, art historical, and comparative methods are used. It is shown that the majority of Odesa artists are inspired by the heritage on plein air painting of France of the last third of the XIX – early XX century. The education system is inclined to this. It is important that the traditions of the Odesa school formed in the early twentieth century have not been interrupted to this day. The plein air school of Odesa is not avant-garde, but it is strong and consistent in its achievements (K. Kastandi, V. Synitskyi, N. Shelyuto, A. Havdzynskyi). The painters felt and manifested the special color system that is inherent in the nature of the Northern Black Sea region. The scientific novelty of the publication lies in the fact that it reveals the themes, poetics and stylistics of the masters of plein air painting V. Zhurakovkyi and P. Macedonkyi, whose work is still under-researched in art history. The individual features of the artistic language in various genres of painting of artists are revealed. It is shown that the living tradition of painting in the open air (plein air) is natural for our sunny city. It is shown that the stylistics of plein air and impressionism (as the maximum manifestation of the interaction of the object with space) is neighboring with the features of post-impressionism and expressionism. The presented materials, artistic and stylistic analysis and summarization can be used in scientific researches devoted to the image-making art of Odesa.