Українські мотиви у творчості художників Іллі Рєпіна та Івана Айвазовського

The purpose of the article is analysis of Ukrainian subject in Ukrainian artists of XIXth century Ivan Ajvazovsky’s and Illia Riepin’s art, in connection with what motives of artists’ heritage and their contribution in Ukrainian and world culture are reflected. The methodology of the research conditioned by using, exapt general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction), special scientific methods of historic disciplines (historic-genetic, historic-typologic, prosopographic methods) and principles of objectivity and historicism. Scientific novelty consists in comprehensive reflection of Ukrainians’ life in Illia Riepin’s and Ivan Ajvazovsky’s art andaccent of attention at high level of Ukrainians’ moral spirit on Ukrainian painters’ canvases. Conclusions. I. Riepin’s and I. Ajvazovsky’s pictures may be called ethnographic sources, which reflect everyday life, calendar ritualism and other aspects of Ukrainian people life in ХІХ century. Painters fully succeeded reflect Ukrainians’ attitude to life in general, their identify, manners, traditions, reproduce mentality of community. As we see for example of I. Ajvazovsky’s art, domination of steppe subject in context of Ukrainian motives conditioned by painter’s consciousness, on the base on what we can make conclusion about steppe as main ingredient of Ukrainians’ mentality. Features of I. Riepin’s painting allow us affirm about absence of inferiority complex in tradition Ukrainian mentality, because it appeared through Ukrainians’ defeats in course of state formation but we see high developed culture, that wasn’t destroyed even in causes of imperial offensives to cultural heritage whith goal of destroying civilized people. Reflection of church subject in Ukrainian painters’ art allows state inseparability of spiritual people for keeping Ukrainian moral spirit. As we see, Ukrainian painters’ painting realistically portrays Ukrainians’ character and their past, that proves authors favor to Ukrainian identify and denial assertion about their representation of Russian culture. Therefore, worth emphasize, that I. Riepin’s and I. Ajvazovsky’s art in the future makes influence on modern Ukrainians’ national consciousness.