TRANSFORMATIONAL TENDENCIES OF THE UKRAINIAN DIASPORA ECCLESIASTICAL PAINTING

: Ecclesiastical painting of the diaspora is considered as an integral part of the artistic tradition of Ukrainian religious culture. The artistic processes that took place in ecclesiastical painting against the background of historical and cultural changes in the Ukrainian diaspora in the second half of the XXth century are being analyzed. Attention is paid to important art objects located in the compact settlements of the communities of the Ukrainian Western Diaspora in Europe, Australia, the USA, and Canada. The role of transformational processes of ecclesiastical painting on the example of works of R. Hluvko, J. Hnizdovsky, M. Levytsky, O. Mazuryk, J. Novoselsky are being investigated. The analyzed works clearly demonstrate modernist changes in aesthetic landmarks almost in line with stylistic changes in European art. The issue of artistic features of ecclesiastical painting of the diaspora is critically covered. Problems of temple ensemble, modern stylistic directions of temple concepts, etc. are being singled out.


INTRODUCTION.
First of all, it should be noted that the Ukrainian ecclesiastical painting, due to historical circumstances, in the period of the second half of the XXth century, exists in two diametrically opposed cultural spaces: Soviet Ukraine and the Ukrainian Western Diaspora, but united by similar fundamental artistic processes (conservation, synthesis, transformation), which occur with certain features.
The penetration of the world's leading trends in Christian temple art has always been based on a new visual interpretation of the sacred image. This has not always been acceptable to the church community, and such transformations are especially difficult for the diaspora to accept. After all, their task is to preserve the national identity as much as possible. Therefore, the features of modernism, i.e. the process of image transformation, penetrate into the ecclesiastical painting of the Ukrainian diaspora with the worldview and Doctor of Arts, Associate Professor of Design and Art Theory Department Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, UKRAINE Chapter III; Transformational tendencies of the ukrainian diaspora ecclesiastical painting creative manners of individual artists. In this exploration, under such a transformation in ecclesiastical painting of the second half of the XXth century we understand the emergence of a new stylistic and visual expression of Christian ideas in the representation of modern culture. This is important, according to M. Rupnik, from the point of view that one of the key problems of modern culture is the substitution of the concept of faith as love, the concept of faith as a doctrine 1 .
This process was not easy, because assimilation and preservation of national identity are two poles between which all existing diasporas try to find a balance. This led to the search for fundamentally new compositional and figurative solutions in well-known iconographic plots, the development of a new artistic and figurative language in ecclesiastical painting. In addition, the change in the architectural image of the temple led to a change in the form of traditional attributes of the rite, the circumstances in accordance with new artistic concepts. This was probably due to the fact that in the 1970s the generation that had grown up and was brought up in exile and tried to avoid «national conservatism» became socially active.
We consider the analysis of existing examples relevant not only for the reproduction of the historical outline of the course of processes in the fine arts of the diaspora, but also for a holistic understanding of the urgent needs and problems of modernity in this field. After all, today in Ukraine there are discussions about new forms of expression of images and symbols of Christianity in churches. Such a dialogue in Western Christian communities has lasted from the time after the Second World War to the present day, because each cultural epoch has its own sense of space and time and vision of the world, in particular the sacred world.

DEVELOPMENT FEATURES OF ECCLESIASTICAL FINE ARTS OF THE DIASPORA AS AN ARTISTIC AND SPIRITUAL PHENOMENON
The mass emigration of Ukrainians to the United States, Canada, and Australia after World War II led to the reconstruction of existing churches, the addition of their interiors, and the construction of new shrines. Such processes were quite the opposite of those that took place in communist-ruled Ukraine. The work of the diaspora artists had mostly the features of the national artistic tradition in its various variants. However, in some cases it was combined with stylistic parameters, which are projected simultaneously on two cultures -the tradition of their ancestors and the art of the new country. Such stylistic models on an emotional and psychological level reveal the «type of human chameleon» 4 .
Artists harmoniously combine different sources, boldly interpret images through individual creative pursuits of a synthesis of national tradition and contemporary art. The sources of inspiration of Ukrainian masters cover different historical icon-painting schools and art epochs, but each painter is deeply individual. This, in turn, creates an interesting variety of images and concepts in the ecclesiastical art of the Ukrainian diaspora, in contrast to Soviet Ukraine.
Diaspora artists willingly took Byzantine aesthetics as a basis and interpreted it as Byzantine-Renaissance, Byzantine-classical, Byzantinemodern 5 . Among them are M. Bidnyak, Y. Butsmanyuk, S. Hordynsky, M. Dmytrenko, C. Dokhvat, Y. Kozak, Y. Mokrytsky, M. Osinchuk, P. Kholodny Jr. and others. Thus, the works of Mykhailo Osinchuk are characterized by static, monumental, laconic expressiveness, subtle harmony of color 6 . Artist's works are mostly paintings of Ukrainian churches of the diaspora where he demonstrates his own original style based on the Byzantine aesthetics of the princely era, good stylization, compositional symmetry, warm color. The original synthesis in the field of ecclesiastical painting is the work of Yuri Kozak, who was one of the first to prove the practicality of the use of synthetic paints for icon painting and successfully experimented with the texture of gold leaf 7 . Despite the clearly recognizable Byzantine basis, the artist managed to combine traditional iconography and his own creative search in ecclesiastical painting, which was close to the style of expressionism. In Mykola Bidniak's work, church painting is presented on a large scale, the artist mastered the 4 8 . The theme of the master's works was revealed through the symbiosis of Byzantine culture, Ukrainian icon painting and his own bright creative method. Sviatoslav Hordynsky usually adapted the foundations of the Byzantine style to modern requirements and materials, so he managed to psychologically adapt to another's environment and build his own model of aesthetic experience. As G. Novozhenets rightly sees, in the painter's neo-Byzantineism there is an organic synthesis of Byzantine-Old Rusian iconography, traditions of European Renaissance art and influences of M. Boychuk's creative method 9  The stylistics of the mosaic images is typical of Byzantium, and the contourlinear means are combined with the tonal ones, which are already characteristic of the Renaissance fresco 10 . The overall impression of the exterior is pleasant, as it combines the features of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople and the conciseness of the modern Christian cathedral, although the facade is generally low-lying. In fact, this feeling does not pass inside, because the use of such an amount of gold smalt in low light creates the effect of earthiness. In our opinion, there is no clear rhythmic division of the walls of the church into registers, which would create a sense of take-off, which is traditional for temples in general. Therefore, the lower «golden part» of the cathedral, filled with single figures of saints, is leveled by the middle register, 8  Chapter III; Transformational tendencies of the ukrainian diaspora ecclesiastical painting filled with dense plot compositions that press down. And the excess gold on the walls does not allow to emphasize the sanctuary and the dome. The general design of the iconostasis for the cathedral was developed by S. Hordynsky, and the icons were painted by Y. Mokrytsky (an example of a low marble iconostasis in Ukrainian overseas). The stylistics of Y. Mokrytsky's icons resonates with the samples of Galician icon painting of the XVIth century 11 . But in general the artist's creative method is quite monotonous and has not been transformed over the years.
In the context of a successful synthesis of realistic academic writing with features of Ukrainian medieval ecclesiastical painting, elements of Baroque art, secession, it is worth noting Mykhailo Dmytrenko, who skillfully interprets them in the new historical space, based on modern aesthetic requirements. During many years of hard work, the artist was able to create many: The church ensemble in Gemtrek, near Detroit, Dmytrenko solves by highlighting the compositional dominants in the sanctuary, light ornamental decoration of the central vault, contrasting combinations of plot multi-figure images, circular arches and filled with exquisite stylized baroque ornaments. Less saturated dome: on a gold background it places only the traditional Pantocrator with a refined Ukrainian type of face, which is made by realistic three-dimensional means, and his clothes get the traditional Byzantine-Old Rusian planar character 12 . The master once again outlines the image with ornaments, but in this case -with plant rhythms that are somewhat reminiscent of Narbut's graphic ornamental motifs. The scenes of the Annunciation and the Coronation of the Mother of God, painting and mosaic techniques are being combined (he paints figures, builds background fragments with mosaics). In the side temple spaces the author places exquisite compositions of angels and seraphs, which by their nature remind us of 11

TRANSFORMATIONAL TENDENCIES AS AN INTEGRAL COMPONENT OF THE DIASPORA ECCLESIASTICAL PAINTING
The principle of transforming direction based on the features of modernism (expressionism, cubism, surrealism, etc.) in combination with the principles of Ukrainian decorative art and icon painting begins to exist in the church space of the diaspora temples. Regarding the depth of penetration of modern ideas into the works of diaspora artists, G. Novozhenets notes: «The degree of their influence on Ukrainian art depended on how much philosophy, psychology and aesthetics of style coincided with the national mentality, creative genotype of the people and individual worldview» 13 . The painter interprets the art of the XXth century in accordance with his own creative choice and desire, in addition, he struggles with «Ukrainian old-fashionedness».
T. Prokopovych's statement is ambiguous: «Along with examples of a new understanding of the form of sacred construction, the transforming direction of creativity is manifested in modern painting of the diaspora. However, we obviously will not find examples of icon painting in the classical sense of this genre. The icon outgrows its main function -to help people understand the essence of Christian teaching» 14 . But let us disagree with him. In our opinion, in Ukrainian ecclesiastical art there has always been progress through the merging of traditions and innovations, so the term «classical Ukrainian icon» simply does not exist, but there is the concept of «classical patterns» for a certain period of time or style. It should be recalled that the experience of European Christian art is also particularly diverse in the second half of the XXth century. Traditional Catholic and Protestant countries have mostly demonstrated a new system of views on ecclesiastical art, so the innovations in their churches become organic 13  The Ukrainian diaspora is also trying to create relevant architectural and figurative temple concepts. The interaction of national sources and modern socio-cultural space led to the emergence of temples with extraordinary artistic images in the 1960-90s, the analysis of which we will discuss in more detail later. However, bold plans can not always be completed. In particular, an interesting modern construction of St. Joseph's Church in Chicago (USA), built in 1975 by architect Z. Mazurkevych, in the late 1980s -at the beginning of the 1990s, due to the lack of aesthetic education of local priests and the irresponsibility of the community, is being painted with low artistic quality painting in the traditional Byzantine style. Intra-church, inter-confessional problems, aesthetic illiteracy of priests, parishioners and their rejection of modern models of ecclesiastical art were the main obstacles to creating a quality modern church space in the diaspora 15 .
Therefore, the transformation of stylistics, iconography in the diaspora ecclesiastical painting in the second half of the XXth century, through the creative interpretation of the world's leading artistic styles and currents of the last century should be considered as a logical continuation of centuries-old tradition which, in fact, allows the perception of the essence of Christian teaching in an artistic language understood by contemporaries. The new way of presenting images of saints reflects the realities of life around us, departing from the «outdated» idea of iconography. Thus, the traditional Christian meaning can be successfully presented in new modern forms, as proved by the artists of the diaspora in their own creative experiments in the newly established Ukrainian churches. Because spiritual, mythological culture, according to M. Eliade, is created and restored due to the actual creative experience of several individuals who rethink and deepen different areas of understanding the sacred idea and then society focuses on the achievements of these specialists, their creative experience and more 16 . 15  . The iconostasis is multilayered, it is a complex composition of rectangles and even resembles a crossword puzzle. Thus, the rubrics row, due to the size of the images and their color saturation, is, without a doubt, the dominant composition of the entire iconostasis. Each of these four icons is a self-sufficient modern iconographic interpretation of the saints. However, the placing of the patrons of the Church, namely Olga and Volodymyr, who are the foremost figures of Ukrainian history and the founders of national Christianity, Chapter III; Transformational tendencies of the ukrainian diaspora ecclesiastical painting the artist strongly emphasizes the form, pattern, color. In Mazuryk's portrayal of Volodymyr, one can clearly trace the inspirations of medieval engravings (the character of the crown, the figure's clothing, the decor on the background and clothing, the use of a line to outline the figure, etc.). The vertical gallery of the prophets of the iconostasis is unusually expressive, and the artist gave a face from a painting by Marc Chagall to one of them (Jeremiah), according to V. Godis 17 . As if eight holidays were «stuck» in the vertical rows of the iconostasis. Their impressively balanced performance contrasts with the expressive large icons and becomes a cute pause, which is so necessary for a sense of harmony.
The original synthesis in the field of church painting is the work of Yuri Kozak, who was one of the first to prove the practicality of the use of synthetic paints for icon painting and successfully experimented with the texture of gold leaf 18  Most of the works analyzed above can be considered successful transformational interpretations of Christian iconography, which artists compare with modernity. Such works become a unifying link in the work of diaspora artists and «mainland» nonconformist artists. In fact, most of the diaspora masters of the paintbrush, at first had a search directly in the religious theme, and only later they were invited to paint for temples.Traditions of avantgarde serve as the basis for experiments In the religious painting of nonconformists in Ukraine -artists of the diaspora. 17 18  Modern in artistic and figurative aspects, prophetic in philosophical and historical interpretation, the saints created by them served and, ultimately, serve as models for modern masters of ecclesiastical and secular art. And this is extremely important for the successful solution of the problem of cooperation between «Church -community -architect -artist» in the creation of objects of modern Ukrainian ecclesiastical painting. Unfortunately, in modern realities of this area, there is a tendency to artistic «permissiveness», blatant eclecticism or outright kitsch. Architects often do not cooperate with future authors of monumental paintings of temple interiors and iconostasis when designing churches, so there is often a discrepancy between the architectural solution and monumental paintings, iconostasis and other objects of temple decoration. It should be noted, for the sake of justice, that such cases are not uncommon in the temples of the diaspora.
The main stylistic tendencies of the Ukrainian contemporary ecclesiastical painting, as well as in the legacy of artists of the diaspora of the second half of the XX century, exist today in such conditionally allocated by us aesthetic directions: preserving, synthesizing and transforming. The process of transformation of modern ecclesiastical painting in Ukraine on the basis of the principles of modernist thinking and education requires some time for their adaptation in a post-totalitarian society. Therefore, the artistic features analysis of successful concepts of temple interiors in the art of the diaspora is extremely necessary in order «not to reinvent the wheel».

TRANSFORMATION OF THE VISUAL CONCEPT OF THE CHURCH INTERIOR IN THE TEMPLES OF THE DIASPORA
Only in the 1970s, the change of generations of active parishioners occurs in diasporas and traditionally other artistic preferences, tolerating of «new aesthetics» is being proposed, so ecclesiastical projects that try to avoid «national conservatism» became possible. There are many attempts, but not all of them have a perfect combination of exterior, interior, painting, etc. We will try to analyze the most significant ones briefly.
Another European master of modern iconography is the famous Polish artist of Ukrainian origin Jerzy Novoselsky, whose creative work included icon painting, graphics, scenography, art theory, theology. Novoselsky's path to the icon was through contemporary art, as its revival in the XXth century began with the development of abstract art, which conveyed another extra-real dimension to express inner experience. Therefore, the artist in his works uses a similar Chapter III; Transformational tendencies of the ukrainian diaspora ecclesiastical painting method of modeling the form. However, the artist was often accused of noncanonicity, and his polychromies were destroyed, and icons were thrown out of churches and cathedrals. Thus, the «blue iconostasis» was removed from the church of Oriškov in Podlasie, although it is now placed in the Krakow Orthodox Church. The author was quite uncompromising in his own artistic views: «In my sacred projects, I never took into account the expectations of the faithful <...> in the realization of sacred objects, I have an undeniable duty to speak the artistic truth» 20 .
The master independently designed dozens of temples, where all the elements created a harmonious integrity, had a certain meaning and had an unforgettable impact on the perception of the interior. The artist creates images of saints that are difficult to understand, but special for the viewer's perception, because the canon, according to Novoselsky, must exist inside the image, it cannot be imposed from the outside. This understanding saved the artist from blind copying and made him an active co-creator of the modern icon 21 . Both the icons and the master's paintings are characterized by monumentalism, hieratics, simplification of forms, active use of local color spots, linear emphasis on the contour and strong contrasts. Despite the special color expressionism, the author always left the traditional iconographic features of the plots.
Particularly symbolic for the artist and the Ukrainian community in Poland is the church built in 1992-1997 in Bily Bor in the north of the country, designed by Novoselsky in collaboration with the architect B. Kotarba. The architectural style of the building is somewhat reminiscent of early Christian three-nave basilicas. The main volumes of the building have asymmetrical western towers, arches are the dominant spatial element of the building and resemble the apses of Byzantine temples. The interior and exterior of the church are filled with frescoes with a solid, spectacular style composition, dominated by three colors: dark and green walls and ceiling, white partitions and red door frames 22 . Novoselsky interprets the iconographic form of images 20  In the center is a bright red tetrapod, which completes the expressive modern concept of the church on the basis of Byzantine iconography. The believers did not immediately approve this unusual shape of the church and its interior, but the high assessment given by art critics and tourists changed the opinion of the city's residents. Now the church is considered a masterpiece of modern church architecture in Poland, and it has repeatedly been included in various popular tourist ratings.
No less avant-garde is the iconostasis of the temple, which contains only three icons: the «Crucifixion» above the royal gates and the image of Christ and the Virgin, which embodies the idea of associating the icon frame with the iconostasis wall, which is further emphasized by three simplified arched openings of the iconostasis, which correspond to the royal and deacon gates. There is no innovation in the iconostasis of Ukrainian churches of the diaspora in the second half of the twentieth century in the context of the ensemble of the church interior iconostasis carving or its imitation. «Two square icons of Christ and the Mother of God form a single tier of the iconostasis. Iconography expresses a purely authorial vision of Byzantine iconography. The sharp style of painting gives the images a transcendental sound. The contrasting color of the icons makes the iconostasis a powerful visual accent of the interior», R. Halyshych rightly believes 23 . Such a visual simplification of the interior to minimalism and, in fact, to abstract forms, deep color contrasts can be considered as modern sacred depth. Abstractness and contrast both externally and internally allow for dialogue without intermediaries. The icons and paintings of Novoselsky, which are minimalist in terms of expressive linear means, are as honest with the viewer as possible, at the same time entering into a dialogue with those who contemplate them, with the help of acquaintances and accepted in the XXth century matissque colors and simplified forms. And the church in Bily Bor itself, in terms of size and boldness of the interior concept, largely echoes the Chapel of the Rosary in Vance by The famous Lviv-born graphic artist and painter Myron Levytsky was formed as a modernist after two years spent in Paris. They became decisive for Levytsky's creative method, where the atmosphere itself helped to melt the learned means of traditional art into an original modern style 24 . His creative method is based on the comparison of colored spots-planes, mostly smooth outlines, and interspersed with smooth contour lines. Typical color comparisons of M. Levytsky are light, pure, we can say, impressionistic, dominated by sonorous green, red, yellow, cold and orange colors, so in the work of the artist we see a successful combination of Byzantineism with Cubism and Expressionism 25 . Philosophical and mythological, religious plots, icons and church paintings are immediately recognizable, because they are distinguished by creative handwriting. In the icons, the author does not blindly follow the prototypes, but transforms biblical characters and plots by means of modernism.
In V. Kostyuk aptly notes Levytsky's monumental search: «He created his own unique style -a kind of Gothic monumentality. The simplification of lines and planes in combination with symbolic colors (often used by the artist since antiquity has been considered a kind of substitute for white or gold -they are all associated with light; green creates a special atmosphere of peace and tranquility) gives M. Levytsky's images unusual freshness and solemnity» 27 . In these works, the artist has preserved his bright, cheerful light-bearing palette: shades of «sea wave», lemon-yellow, «fuchsia» shades of red, and so on. A special image-dynamic effect and psychological counterpoint was achieved by comparing warm and cold colors without penumbra, as in Cubism.
M. Levytsky is the author of all monumental images and icons in the Church of St. Andrew in Lidcombe (1979)(1980), which is another example of harmonious external and internal artistic decoration. The church is singledome, with a modern silhouette, the walls around the perimeter are divided by elongated windows, which makes the middle of the church quite illuminated. The decoration of the interior is quite simple: the walls are lined with ocher brick for trimming and supplemented with paintings, the main emphasis is on the iconostasis and liturgical objects. That is, the organization of the space is solved in such a way that the walls with the texture of open brick alternate with plastered and painted fragments, and the frescoes are concentrated in the center of the altar wall and in some places the side walls of the nave. It should be noted the harmony of all elements of the church (geometrized metal spider and unconventional low with glass icons metal iconostasis, etc.). The building of the temple evokes a feeling of lightness, because it is devoid of unnecessary decorative elements, here, in addition, a lot of glass and metal are used.
Initially Chapter III; Transformational tendencies of the ukrainian diaspora ecclesiastical painting elements that diverge from the center of the gate. The same shape, but thinner metal elements frame all the icons of the iconostasis. We can note that here Levytsky, in accordance with the requirements of the technique of execution, slightly changes his own traditional «amorphous planes» to more linear ones.
Later, in 1979, the artist was commissioned to paint the temple dome, ceilings and walls in the sanctuary. In the hemispherical space of the dome, Levytsky builds rhythms from stylized angels in the sun's rays and reports from triangles similar to Narbut's graphic ornaments. Below he makes a ribbon ornament of symbolic grapes and crosses in circles and makes actually emblematic images with evangelists on the sails. The paintings of the vault of the sanctuary and the composition of the Eucharist are logically connected by the interweaving of geometric planes. Thus, the symbolic radiance of light from the figure of Christ passes to the radiance of the dove from the vault through the shimmering triangular planes and the schematic candlestick. We have an association of the symbolic «father's nest» with regard to the composition of the lower part of the images, on which the Savior stands and to which the apostles flock like birds. On both sides of the Eucharist on the side walls are the compositions «Protection (Pokrova)» and «Almighty (Vsederzhytel)».
Later, in 1980, Levytsky was commissioned to paint the ceiling above the choirs (the plots «Baptism of Ukraine (Khreshchennia Ukrainy)», «Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky and Patriarch Yosyph (Mytropolyt Andrei Sheptytskyi i patriarkh Yosyf)», «Crucifixion (Rozpiattia)» and others). This iconostasis and paintings are an example of modernism in Ukrainian religious culture, which is a counterweight to traditionalism. Without dynamic modernism, the development of religion and religious art is impossible, according to the modern culturologist Y. Ryzhov, because faith in the context of modernism acquires a deeply individualized character 29 .
Among the many works of one of the world's most famous Ukrainian artists of the diaspora of the second half of the XXth century Jacques Hnizdovsky there are not many icons or religious subjects. During the early creative search, the artist created paintings of religious and symbolic content: «The Last Supper The author interpreted iconographic images (27 icons) differently for the Church of the Holy Trinity in Kergonkson (New York), which was designed in 1976 by R. Zhuk. The building has a complex and at the same time clear construction. Steep sloping wooden frame roofs create a dynamic composition with five towers that are arranged asymmetrically. A feature of the artistic image of the temple is the idea of the triangle semantics (triangular towers, triangular window frames, triangular design details), which completely permeates the exterior and interior. In fact, this form becomes a visual evidence of the images of God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit 32 . The walls of the interior are completely sewn with boards, the light penetrated from the window openings on the tops of the towers. The altar is located in the center of the main hall of the temple, which is surrounded by a hexagonal alley with a throne and a triangular iconostasis.
This bold project of the church was finally completed by the iconostasis, which J. Hnizdovsky executed at the request of the parish. Here we see a rejection of allusions to the Byzantine style, of the traditional appearance of biblical characters, of gilding, that is, of everything we see in his previous icons. Here the master combines three non-traditional principles of arrangement at once: the atypical placement of the iconostasis wall in the interior of the church, its unusual shape and the author's interpretation of iconography 33 . The complex design of its iconostasis logically harmonizes with the broken planes of the surrounding space. Each individual plane of the iconostasis has its own theme, and its vertical wall is formed by two tiers.
the artist's search in both graphics and painting, and the symbolism of images, their pictorial representation is an example of the transformation of high-quality traditional Christian iconography in the second half of the XXth century. Accordingly, the master interprets the grotesque more as a category of dreaminess and elegia and adds certain symbolic elements to depict biblical scenes. Thus, the viewer sees much more than is in the plot. This even brings these images somewhat closer to the fantasy genre popular then and today, but the myth it represents is Christianity. In fact, the last artists whose works we have considered and their works have become pioneers in creating new concepts in the field of interior ensemble in general and church art in particular. The bold interpretation of iconography, the latest author's style of works, original color solutions allow us to speak of individual ensembles of churches as a significant phenomenon in the world church interior of the XXth century. After all, such new ways of visualplastic expression, which appeal to new signs and symbols in the modern perception of Christian images, are a variant of a new, very personal, communcation with God 39 .

CONCLUSIONS
The natural interaction of national sources and the modern socio-cultural space of the diaspora led to the emergence in the 1970-1990ss of church art samples with extraordinary aesthetic and philosophical concepts. They harmoniously transform this tradition of ancestors by rethinking the patterns of avant-garde painting or by creating their own creative figurative system of philosophical reflections within the traditional Christian iconography. These attempts, first of all, correspond to the world tendencies and aspirations to embody in the works the idea of universal faith under the influence of artistic and aesthetic principles of the modern urban world. And only after that they appear as a reflection of the process of assimilation of Ukrainian emigrants.
The transformational direction of diaspora artists is a logical continuation of the creative search in ecclesiastical painting of Western Ukraine artists in the first half of the twentieth century. Thus, in Ukrainian church art there are works of icon painting and the concept of church ensembles based on the features of modernism (expressionism, surrealism, etc.) and Ukrainian decorative art and icon painting, which have a perfect artistic image and thus,