Academic literature on the topic 'Political posters, Ukrainian'

This study contributes to the history of poster connected with interdisciplinary conceptualization, where poster is examined as a design object and core advertising medium in the context of cross-cultural interaction, cultural integration and national identification. Artistic and stylistic features of famous poster schools (Swiss, German, Austrian, Polish, Japanese, French, Italian, Baltic, Ukrainian, etc.) are analyzed and theoretically summarized on the example of cultural-imagery and tourist posters from different countries. Communicative and aesthetic aspects of image creation are presented in socio-cultural dynamics according to certain stages of social development. Colour is highlighted as the most important and attractive means among compositional factors. Scientific novelty of this study is to justify the world’s cultural heritage of poster. It is proved that poster actively shapes public consciousness and has a powerful influence on public opinion. Also, poster is included in social sign system and represents past or present creative experience. Semantic role of poster is a visualization of relevant idea, general rendering of advertised object in visual form and content, perfect reflection of real or imaginary objects and phenomena in mind. The results of study indicate that present-day poster, as a product of culture should have accentuated aesthetics, non-standard vision, and variability of graphic communication and be interesting for the target audience. As advertising often borrows images from different arts, their creative interpretation and preservation of symbolic meanings are of great importance. Particular attention is focused on the relationship between art imagery and functionality in the process of poster designing.

In every country, state symbols such as the national flag, emblem, and national anthems represent the independence and sovereignty of the state. In the Soviet Union as well as in other autocratic states symbols also played an important role in propaganda, influencing peoples’ attitudes to the actions of the state at all levels. These symbols could also be found, together with powerful imagery in posters, on buildings, monuments and many other things visible and incorporated in the routine life the people. Ukraine has huge historical heritage of symbolism and propaganda from when the country was a major part of the USSR. After the creation of the USSR a political, socio-economic, cultural and spiritual experiment on the construction of a communist society, which in the case of Ukraine was unprecedented in scale and tragedy, began. The collectivization of the village is one of the most tragic pages in the history of Ukraine. As the most important grain-growing region of the country at the time its production was vital to feed the growing cities and industrialisation. The forced collectivisation led to starvation in the 1930s and millions of people died. In order to counter this most public information showed people another side of collectivization. Propaganda was used, such as posters and slogans, to persuade the peasants to join the collective farms and to promote the real or fictitious results of the workers, and, conversely, to attack people who did not want to believe in the “bright future” of the USSR and to denounce “kulaks” and “saboteurs”. Materials from archives and published sources show many examples of Ukrainian images and symbols of that time which shed a light on the way the collectivisation process was portrayed and promoted.

The formation of the Soviet image of the past in the context of the doctrine of «our great ancestors» was extended not only to historiography, fiction and journalism. A special place was occupied by cinema. The Bolsheviks were very early realized the tremendous role of cinema as a means of influencing mass culture. With the help of cinema, the party leadership sought to form a «true» view of reality, thereby educating people in the spirit of «communism and internationalism». Founded in the early 30’s oftheXX century. the genre of historical cinema, became the basis of all Soviet cinema. Rejecting the leading role of the «masses» in the tapes, bolsheviks turn to the biography of outstanding and «progressive» historical personalities, first of all, rulers and generals. Throughout the period of existence of Soviet cinema, the historical biographies of Alexander Nevsky, Ivan the Terrible, Peter I, Michael Kutuzov, Alexander Suvorov and others were filmed. The most important document of the memory of Danylo Romanovich in the era of Soviet patriotism was the film of Ukrainian director Yaroslav Lupiya – «Danylo – Prince Galician». The Film was created in 1987 at the Odessa Film Studio named after O. Dovzhenko. Before us is a work that was supposed to create a stable image of Prince Danylo Halytsky in the consciousness of Ukrainian society. The image is dictated «from above». The ecranisation of Danylo Romanovych requires a detailed study of not only the history of the film, but also the reception of the ruler in the Soviet image. This will allow us to trace and analyze the struggle for the appropriation and stylization of the image in detail, as well as contradictory directions in forming the concept of the «Soviet patriot» of Danylo Halytsky. The figure of King Danylo as well as the political history of the Galician-Volyn was state remained unknown to a wide cinema. In the official historical discourse of the USSR, the image of Danylo Romanovych was used very carefully and only where «party» leadership needed it. Despite the growing interest in the history of Kievan Rus in the cinema, Danylo’s film adaptation resembled his «popularity» in the scientific literature of that time. Certain changes occurred only during the Perestroika period. The directorate of the Odessa film studio named after O.Dovzhenko was interested in the history of the medieval past of Ukraine. Here the Ukrainian director Yaroslav Lupi created his picture «Danylo – Prince Galitsky». The film is considered to be the banner of publicity. The tape appeals to the heroic Ukrainian past of the times of Kyivan Rus and Galicia-Volyn state, which became the shield of Europe against the Mongol-Tatar invasion. On the posters devoted to the premiere of the film, it was indicated that the tape glorifi the famous Ukrainian prince Danylo Halytsky. However, we have doubts about the screen image of the key hero of the Western Ukrainian myth. What was the real stylization of the image of the Old Russian ruler in the eponymous painting that had so long been in the «shadow» of the Soviet historical culture? Keywords: thesoviet image, soviet historical culture, wide cinema, ecranisation of King Danylo Romanovych, historical discourse

Abstrakt: Polityka Rosji i jej obecnego prezydenta – Władimira Putina – wzbudza na świecie wiele kontrowersji, jednak z drugiej strony grupy wspierające działania państwa rosyjskiego, którego głównym celem jest odbudowa swojej silnej pozycji na arenie międzynarodowej nie są zjawiskiem rzadkim. Swoje poparcie dla działań Moskwy wyrażają poprzez środki masowego przekazu, m.in. przez internet. Niniejszy artykuł poświęcony będzie internetowym portalom, sprzyjającym polityce Moskwy, istniejącym w krajach Europy Środkowej – państw pogranicza Wschodu i Zachodu, przez długi czas będących częścią radzieckiej strefy wpływów, zaś obecnie integrujących się ze strukturami europejskimi. Praca postara się przedstawić najważniejsze treści prezentowane na tych stronach, stosunek do wzrastającego znaczenia Rosji w stosunkach międzynarodowych oraz prób odzyskania pozycji mocarstwa (m.in. odniesienie do konfliktu ukraińskiego) a także w jaki sposób te portale i ich aktywność wpływają na procesy społeczno-polityczne, istniejące w tych państwach i czy witryny te mogą być aktywnym instrumentem wykorzystywanym przez Rosję w procesie kształtowania i prowadzenia działań określanych mianem wojny informacyjnej. Abstract: The current politics of Russia and its leader Vladimir Putin is considered as very controversial, but from the other hand many groups support the actions, which are concerned on increasing the strong position of Russia at the international area. Their advocacy for its policy is showed by many means of transitions like Internet. The main focus of this article will be interested in internet portals, which promote the Russian politics which exist in Central European countries like Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. Mentioned countries exist on sui generis borderland of East and West. They were for many years parts of Soviet sphere of influence and now try to arrange their position in West European structures. Article will try to answer which type of contents can be found on this websites, their attitude to expanding role of Russia in international relations and Moscow's attempts for recupering the superpower status (like opinion about Ukrainian conflict) and in which way these portals and their activities can influence social and political processes, which are conducted in these states. At least article will mention how described websites can be used as active instrument in the process of shaping and carrying on movements which can be called as information war.