THE ARTISTIC PHENOMENON OF IVAN VASILEVICH FIZER: SEMANTIC DOMINANTS AND ARTISTIC IDENTITY

Abstract

The multifaceted creative legacy of Ivan Vasylovych Fizer – People’s Artist of Ukraine, sculptor, painter, educator, and professor at the Department of Fine and Decorative Arts of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy – is examined in the context of transformational processes in the visual culture of the Cherkasy region. The genesis of the artist’s visual language is analyzed, tracing its evolution from traditional wood carving to intellectually oriented modern plastic art, in which archaic national traditions are organically combined with the principles of European modernism. Particular attention is paid to Fizer’s conceptual innovation, namely the diffusion of artistic doctrines embodied in a distinctive authorial direction referred to as the “Fizer style”. The role of archetypes as key semantic dominants in the artist’s work is revealed, emphasizing their function in the sacralization of exhibition and urban space and in shaping a deep connection with collective national memory. It is determined that Fizer’s artistic plasticity can be interpreted as a form of «restoration» of the spiritual essence of Ukrainian culture through material, primarily wood, which acquires philosophical and symbolic significance. The pedagogical principles of the artist are highlighted, based on the synthesis of technical mastery, material awareness, and intellectual freedom, as well as on the formation of holistic artistic thinking. It is concluded that the phenomenon of Ivan Fizer lies in the creation of a unique artistic identity that integrates profound archetypes of national culture with contemporary artistic forms. His work is considered a significant contribution to the development of the Ukrainian art school and the cultural space of the Cherkasy region. Prospects for further research are associated with an in-depth analysis of the interaction between traditional and modernist components in the formation of individual artistic systems of contemporary Ukrainian artists