135113 SE BA thesis: Avantgarde in/from the Ukraine between East and West (2018W)

The aim of the course is to impart knowledge about the avant-garde phenomenon in Ukraine. The term "Ukrainian avant-garde" was coined in 1973 in France. This was the occasion to talk about the authors and artists from Ukraine, who were Ukrainians in origin and self-image and who were influenced by Ukrainian traditions - including such world-class artists as the "Father of Russian Futurism" Burlyuk; the painter of Polish origin, whose life and work was closely connected with Ukraine, Malevič; painter and stage designer Exter and such avant-garde painters as Bogomasov, Meller, Jermylov and Petryc'kyj. The central theme of the course will be the Ukrainian avant-garde literature written in Kiev, Kharkiv and Odessa. The literary texts and manifestos of such authors as the most famous Ukrainian futurist Semenko, the avant-garde poet Poliščuk, the founder of the "vitalistic" prose Chvyljovyj are analyzed. Particular attention should be given to avant-garde groups and journals. Also will be discussed the work of such talented theater and film directors as such Kurbas and Dovženko who worked in Ukraine. It will provide insights into the national concerns of the Ukrainian avant-garde as well as their peculiar forms, which were caused by the historical and political context. The mutual influences and differences between the Ukrainian, Russian and Western European avant-garde will be compared. The role of Ukraine as a link between West and East will be explained. The focus is on comparative approaches: comparative literature, cultural studies and history are used. The interaction of avant-garde poetry, painting, stagecraft and film is discussed in the timeframe 1910-1937. It will explain the phenomenon of "Ukrainian Renaissance" of the 1920s as well as the term "Shoot Renaissance", which was introduced after the end of the totalitarian regime in the Soviet Union. Selected Ukrainian texts will be analyzed in the German and English translations during the lectures.