Following the Traditions of Old Masters in Ukrainian Realist Painting (on the Example of the Works of V. Kostyrko, E. Ravsky, O. Glazunov)

The purpose of the article is to identify the influence of imitation of the painting traditions of old masters on the work of representatives of contemporary Ukrainian realist art. The methodology of the study is based on the following philosophical and general scientific approaches, which made it possible to consider the phenomenon of imitation in contemporary Ukrainian art from different perspectives: the interdisciplinary approach ensured the use of the latest theoretical achievements of the social sciences and humanities in the analysis of the phenomenon of imitation; the phenomenological method was applied at the stage of revealing the essence and concretization of such a phenomenon as imitation, its transformations in the contemporary artistic space. The scientific novelty is due to the fact that the attention is focused on certain factors, including the imitation by contemporary Ukrainian artists of the painting traditions of old masters, which directly affects the formation of the art of modern Ukraine. Conclusions. It has been stated that the appeal to the artistic tradition of old masters is not a new approach in art, but Ukrainian art history lacks a sufficient number of fundamental scientific studies on the influence of the work of old masters on the formation of contemporary Ukrainian artists. It has been found that contemporary artists show interest in scrupulous detail, smooth style of painting, baroque complex angles, convey the psychology of images in the manner of Caravaggio and Rembrandt, actualizing classical traditions in contemporary painting. It is proved that pictorial illusion, artistic, compositional and coloristic searches, and even universal meanings in the works of old masters can serve as inspirations in the works of V. Kostyrko, E. Ravsky, O. Glazunov and other Ukrainian artists. It is emphasized that the issue of imitation of the painting traditions of old masters in Ukrainian realist painting requires additional research, but in our opinion, this is a promising topic for further research within the framework of art history and cultural studies.