Icons of the 17th Century from the Church of the Prophet Elijah in the Village of Sarny in the Context of the Work of Vyshnia Masters

The research problem addresses one of the leading painting centers in Western Ukraine that operated in the 17th century in the town of Sudova Vyshnia. Using a complex of icons from one church—the Church of St. Prophet Elijah in the village of Sarny—this study analyzes thematic, iconographic, and artistic-image characteristics of these icons, tracing the roots and continuity of local traditions as well as innovative features influenced by the challenges of that historical period. An attempt is made to systematize the icons from Sarny based on the individual styles of the masters and to attribute works from other churches to them. For the first time, attention is drawn to the icons from Sarny in the context of new trends in Western Ukrainian icon painting as a whole, highlighting that the expansion of the thematic repertoire of 17th-century icons among Vyshnia painters took on a direction that notably emphasized certain images and the development of new iconography related to the socio-historical conditions of that time. The strong intertwining of traditions with new thematic and formally–artistic explorations in the works of these masters has resulted in an original phenomenon that gives sacred painting a distinct national character. The importance of a comprehensive study of the creative heritage of the Vyshnia artistic center as a significant national cultural asset is emphasized.