Symposium discusses modern Ukrainian religious architecture (11/30/97)

Symposium discusses modern Ukrainian religious architecture

by Walter Daschko

WINNIPEG - Even though the construction of new Church buildings seems to have dropped off dramatically in the Ukrainian communities of North America, judging from a recent symposium in Winnipeg, interest in the architecture of these buildings continues unabated.

Over 40 architects, artists, students and laypeople from across Canada and the U.S. arrived at the symposium despite very little promotion for the event. Held at the University of Manitoba on September 26-27, "The Symposium of Modern Ukrainian Religious Architecture in North America," organized jointly by the Oseredok Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Center and the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Manitoba, was intended to "examine the evolution of style, iconography and building methods in response to liturgy and enculturation in a new land." While these issues were important, the presenters too played a significant role.

"It was the first and likely the only time the three most prolific and provocative designers in North America were together," noted Zenon Hluszok, symposium coordinator. Those three were - Julian Jastremsky, a native Winnipeger who received his master in architecture from Columbia University in 1942 and then proceeded to design more than 20 Catholic and Orthodox churches, including the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Philadelphia and St. John the Baptist, Ottawa; Radoslav Zuk, professor of architecture at McGill University since 1966, with nine Ukrainian churches to date, who has written extensively on a wide variety of issues affecting the design of modern Ukrainian church architecture; and Victor Deneka, with eight modern Manitoba churches to his credit who is about to publish the 400-page book "Ukrainian Churches in Canada," illustrated with more than 1,500 photographs.

The architects were joined by four other noted presenters: Anatole Senkevich Jr., an associate professor of architecture and art history at the University of Michigan, an expert in aspects of Russian and Soviet architecture and the author of many books and scholarly articles, among them the work "Monuments to Faith," a comprehensive inventory of Ukrainian churches in Manitoba; Vera Lazarowich Senchuk, an iconographer who has created hundreds of icons and many church iconostases and is currently working on major new wall paintings for the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral in Winnipeg; Ben Wasylyshen, a successful artist and architectural design consultant who has taught at the department of architecture and is currently engaged in a commission for 10 stained glass windows for the Metropolitan Cathedral in Winnipeg.

During the proceedings, many interesting observations and insights were generated. During his presentation Prof. Zuk outlined the role of light, materials, geometric references and the local physical surroundings on his modernist designs. Of greatest interest to the participants however, were the rhythmic proportions which shaped and organized Prof. Zuk's designs. These proportions, derived from his careful analyses of traditional Ukrainian churches, are, according to Prof. Zuk, the true essence of the Ukrainian architectural tradition and not stylistic features such as pear-shaped domes or iconstases.

While some participants were prepared to acknowledge that the highly recognizable domes common to most Ukrainian churches may not be unique to Ukrainian architecture, they questioned the "uniqueness" of Prof. Zuk's rhythmic proportions as well. It was also noted that despite Prof. Zuk's declared "rejection" of the emblematic role of domes, virtually all his designs skillfully and successfully include domes derived from Ukrainian precedents, albeit reinterpreted in a modernist aesthetic.

In his analysis of the essence of Ukrainian church architecture Prof. Senkevich argued that a predominant "verticality," both interior and exterior, was a central and powerful aspect of the architecture, going on to note that "attenuated domes undeniably assert this dominant verticality." Prof. Senkevich surprised many participants with his rejection of the commonly held position that baroque domes came to Ukraine, and later Russia, via central Europe. He argued instead that "Germans and Austrians adopted the vertical baroque domes from Ukraine and Moscow."

The centerpiece of the symposium however, was the feting of Mr. Jastremsky and his prodigious body of work. In his presentation the elder dean of Ukrainian church architecture in North America stressed the importance of comfortably and innovatively accommodating the liturgical requirements within the client's means. The presenters and participants of the symposium thanked Mr. Jastremsky for his years of work and dedication.

Interest in the symposium and indeed interest in modern Ukrainian church architecture, might also be explained at least in part, by the emergence of a new and independent Ukraine. The new freedoms have unleashed decades of repressed needs and new churches are being built in large numbers; among these are two churches by Prof. Zuk.

Among the views expressed was that those in Ukraine look to the West for much-needed financial support. Unfortunately, both sides have unrealistically high expectations and as a result "will, for some time continue to be a source of disappointment for each other, architecturally and otherwise."

It was also noted that in Ukraine, as in North America during most of this century, the demands for churches to be unmistakable descendants of earlier Ukrainian Baroque models are so powerful that opportunities to develop contemporary Ukrainian material culture are missed or ignored. Ironically, Ukrainian Baroque, in its time, was a modern innovation and it developed to play an important role in defining Ukrainian culture for quite some time.

Hope was expressed by many that - in both Ukraine and Canada - architects, artists and laypeople will acknowledge that church buildings, as central features of Ukrainian material culture, have a responsibility to be not only complex liturgical vessels and to provide meaningful connections to our past but, just as importantly, to establish valuable connections to contemporary contexts, locally and internationally.

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