Intricate and bold mosaic mural artwork as a propaganda tool in Ukraine’s past
(4 min read) Art has always been at the forefront of the social and political situation of every country, and mosaic art is not an exception. Just like every other widely admired art form, mosaic art was often used as means of propaganda and advertising. However, unlike with many other art forms, the messages sent with mosaic art tended to stick around much longer, if not for an eternity.
Once upon a time, my favorite non-mosaic artist said: “Modern art is a disaster area. Never in the field of human history has so much been used by so many to say so little.” Those versed in artistic activism will recognize this Banksy’s quote. And just like everything Banksy does, this quote has many points of interpretation too. Is it always good to use art to speak and when does that use become abuse?
Just in case you are living in outer space or some parallel fairy realm, this article is “inspired” by the current events in Ukraine. As someone who has family roots in Eastern Europe, I could also say that this article may be colored with my personal standpoints here and there, but if you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you already expected that from yours truly.
No one knows how many of the Ukrainian mosaic artworks will survive this war, so this is a unique chance to capture some of them and their history. Many of our fellow bloggers took a different approach and talked widely about the history and the background of Ukrainian mosaic art going all the way back to ancient times. In order to make this article closer to you, I’ve decided to take a short stroll back into the near past.
Mosaic art has always played a significant and meaningful role in Ukrainian culture and as such, it was also used by the Communist Party during the dark times of Soviet communism. In 2014 many mosaic artworks were subject to the decommunization process as a result of the Revolution of Dignity. Numerous mosaic artworks of the Soviet era were dismantled and destroyed. However, the artistic community of Ukraine became divided at the time, because while some thought that the era of communism should be wiped out completely, others thought that preserving monumental art in terms of its undeniable artistic value was a marker of civilized society.
Ironically, the issue of these colorful mosaic artworks remains unsolved to this day and war has never been kind to art or monuments of past times. Used for national manipulation and communist propaganda, these remarkable pieces of artistry and skill hide encrypted stories of collective spirit and deceit, of trust and trickery. Huge, bold, and bright, they proudly told the story of a significant part of Ukrainian history during the cold war era.
The beauty of some of the Ukrainian mosaics is undoubtedly lost forever. However, some of Ukraine’s modern-day mosaicists will resurface after all this is over with mosaic masterpieces that will mark the time of recovery. We will talk more about them in one of our future articles. Stay tuned and #supportukrainenow
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53 Comments
Wow, I really appreciate you sharing this with the world. It is sad to see just how much is being lost over there: life, architecture, art….peace.
It’s amazing how many pieces of mosaic art they have in public places. There are some stunning pieces.
It really is a shame that art like this is destroyed in the times of war, but thank you so much for sharing some of these works of art and what their meaning is!
I’m so glad you were able to document all of the murals in Ukraine. I hope that they all survive!
I think it was so beautiful for you to highlight Ukrainian artists. Beautiful tribute to the country and the culture. These pieces are beautiful!
I am totally speechless by how beautiful those mosaic mural artworks are and some are even in 3d.
Wow! This is wonderfully made. So far the Ukrainian Madonna mosaic panel is my favorite. I did not realize they have a lot of these masterpieces in the country. 🙂
The art works are beautiful,praying for the Ukrainian because war is not good for any country,talking from experience!
That’s amazing. I learned a lot about these murals. All was artistic and beautiful. Reading Ukraine’s history is awesome.
What an informative post about Ukrainian culture. Beautiful art works!
I bet its really impactful seeing the big ones in person esp now. WOW!
I have taught on Banksy a couple of times in my classroom this year. He is certainly an interesting artist.
There was a contemporary period in which mosaics really made history. Just think of the city where I live, Milan. Many buildings or places of the liberty period are in fact characterized with splendid mosaics that recall those of the classical period that could be found in Roman or Pompeian houses. Amazing!
I did not know this part relating to Ukraine and its past, too bad they are propaganda, they are really colorful and beautiful!
Informative post! It’s good to learn about the Ukrainian mosaics and culture.
These are amazing and really are something to make you stop and look, the intricate work that goes into mosaics really does amaze me
I love to look at a find large Murals. Large Mosaic Murals have to be a lot of work but very beautiful.
Those pieces are huge, I can’t imagine how long they took to create. They are beautiful!
These bold mosaics are so eye catching. The history behind them is soi nteresting too!
I have heard of these mosiac murals before, but not in detail! I learned a lot!
The bright mosaic artwork from 1980 looks amazing. I love the way that one stands out and the colouring.
I do hope that these beautiful works of art will survive this war, so that the history and the background is preserved.
Wow! These are really nice and fascinating. Such a creative way to share the message.
Everything is beautiful and hearing the story of the pictures is amazing.
This is a great art venue to express creativity
Wow I am really impressed with these works of art and appreciate you sharing. I esepcvikally love the mosaic works of art on the sides of the buildings in Kyiv. The Ukrainians are amazing people indeed and I have a new found respect and appreciation for their bravery.
Sometimes seeing people misuse the beauty of art is really heartbreaking to see.
It was so beautiful to read your post and see these magnificent mosaic artwork yet so heartbreaking due to the war that is happening there. Thank you for sharing these beautiful images
Such a beautiful post! Yep, mosaics has been one of the tools to decorate the public places, buildings, festivals.
I never thought about how art is used in political situations. But it is plain as day after thinking about it. It is really sad that many pieces of artwork were dismantled and destroyed in the decommunization process. Thanks for sharing so much history related to the Ukraine and mosaic art.
Mosaics always wows me! The details on all of these are just stellar!
It’s interesting to hear how mosiacs can be used for different things. So many different images have been created.
Wow those mosaic murals on the end of buildings in Kyiv are beautiful. Hopefully some of these murals will survive the war for future generations to enjoy x
Oh wow how beautiful are all these mosaics. The attention to detail and the stunning colours and patterns are next level x
Wow. That’s actually amazing. The art on the walls had me stunned. I liked “A Method for Building Life” a lot!
The artwork is stunning and when you look back in history so many great pieces tell stories of the world around them when they were being created. So rich in culture and history ..this is why it’s so important to preserve art and historical pieces.
Each picture has a story to tell. So sad it was being damaged by the war. All the photos are lovely and I really love the story behind each one of them.
These mosaic art murals are so amazing to marvel at. Sadly, I don’t think they exist today. I am glad that you were able to share photos of them while they were still intact.
Some absolutely beautiful murals, lets hope they (and the city) survives in this horrible time. I’d have never thouht about mosaic murals being political, but it’s just the same as any other art x
These mosaic murals are amazing. I’m sure the work and patience it takes is incredible.
Such an interesting read! Thanks for sharing these mosaic mural artworks of Ukrain in details.
the mosaics represents really strong messages. i hope this war will end soon. so many people are being affected worldwide.
All mosaic artworks portrayed in your blog are amazing creations.
Yes, art is a great way to express yourself politically, socially or just for entertainment value. It’s amazing what you find when you research meaning behind certain pieces of art.
Thank you so much for sharing the history and stories behind these beautiful works of art.
I want to know more about their country and the stories behind each art.
Gorgeous, I love seeing artwork like this. My favorite of what is shown here is that gorgeous one on the side of the building that looks like a sun.
These are beautiful which makes me really sad thinking this has already been destroyed today because of the war. Thank you for sharing this.
I didn’t know there were so many mosaic arts in Ukraine – let’s hope they and the people of Ukraine survive this stupid war
very bold and unique. Great art style, it makes me of modern art a lot. It’s great you found a way to reflect on Ukraine and support it via this post within your niche. I hope Ukraine wins and fast!
Thank you for this educational and interesting post packed with things I for sure did not know about Ukraine and its history. Very sad what is going on over there….
Thank you for sharing such wonderful and educational artworks and sharing all the history behind them.
What an interesting take on the use of mosaics in public spaces. I’ve never thoughts about mosaics being a vehicle for the expression of political views and struggles…
Love the mosaics on the sides of buildings, absolutely amazing & beautiful.