Ukraine Baroque: Beautiful Art Form

We've discussed many aspects of Ukrainian culture (and cultures within Ukraine). The many art forms are also very important to describing Ukrainian Culture. Baroque style is one of those art forms.

According to the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, it emerged during the Cossak period. Certain features are unique to baroque style. The terms Ukraine baroque or Cossak baroque are the given names because of these features. Specifically, Ukraine baroque is a moderate, simple style in comparison to the tradional style Western Europe which is more decorative.

I've posted an example of the baroque style. It is the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv.




I think Ukraine baroque is a beautiful art form. This is not an architecture that I am used to seeing on buildings here in the United States. These buildings are great for photography and seem as if they exist a world away.

Another amazing point I'd like to discuss is the longevity of these structures. This art form came about in the 17th and 18th century. The St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery was built in the middle ages, but parts of it was reconstructed in the 18th century to accomodate baroque style.

It would be interesting to see baroque structures in the United States.

Post WWII Polish/Ukrainian Deportations

One other thing...

During our discussion last Monday, Svitlana briefly touched on the post-WWII border shifts and the population transfer that took place between Poland and Ukraine. As Svitlana noted, this was a very painful process for those families dislocated, and the policy has since been condemned as ethnic cleansing. Here's a link to reviews of a book I've read that deals with this matter: http://www.boydell.co.uk/www.urpress.com/80462383.HTM. It deals more with the Polish lands, and also with the expulsion of ethnic Germans from Poland after WWII, but it certainly also discusses the plight of Ukrainians in Poland and Poles in Ukraine.