The Ideological Reshaping of Ukraine's Urban Landscape
Following the Bolsheviks' rise to power in Ukraine, a systematic ideological transformation of the urban environment began. As part of Lenin's 'Plan for Monumental Propaganda,' Kyiv witnessed the mass removal of old statues and their replacement with new avant-garde and Cubist-style sculptures made of plaster. Historian Serhiy Udovyik detailed these events during an interview with political analyst Yuriy Romanenko.
This process targeted monuments dedicated to Russian tsars and historical figures, replacing them with new works that reflected the new ideological principles. For instance, on May 1, 1919, Cubist busts of prominent revolutionaries were erected in Kyiv, including:
- Lenin
- Trotsky
- Sverdlov
- Rosa Luxemburg
Serhiy Udovyik: 'Cubist plaster busts of Lenin, Trotsky, Sverdlov, and Rosa Luxemburg appeared in Kyiv's squares.'
It is known that a Cubist bust of Taras Shevchenko, created by sculptor Epstein, was placed on the site of the statue of Princess Olha, located on what is now Mykhailivska Square. Additionally, a Cubist plaster bust of Karl Marx, made by sculptor Iosyp Chaikov, was erected in front of the City Duma building. Most of these monuments were constructed from temporary materials like plaster and wood, which prevented them from surviving the subsequent historical upheavals and warfare of the 20th century. This era was part of a broader, often destructive, Soviet campaign to erase pre-revolutionary history and culture.
As historian Serhiy Udovyik noted, 'One of these futurists, I think it was Malevich, even suggested burning the museum and all those paintings to ashes, leaving only specimens in little jars.'
The ideological transformation of Kyiv under Bolshevik rule illustrates profound shifts not only in the city's architectural landscape but also in the societal values of the time. The installation of new monuments and the dismantling of old ones symbolized the new regime's attempt to rewrite history and forge a new cultural identity. These events represent a crucial stage in the formation of modern Ukrainian national discourse, the echoes of which remain relevant today.