Censored desna. Visualizing hidden layers within soviet-censored novel
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Authors
Author (Corporation)
Publication date
2025
Typ of student thesis
Master
Course of study
Master of Arts FHNW in Digital Communication Environments
Type
11 - Student thesis
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Publisher / Publishing institution
Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst Basel FHNW
Place of publication / Event location
Basel
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Abstract
Ukrainian artists working during the Soviet period faced strict ideological restrictions that significantly affected their creative freedom. In response to these repressive limitations, some were forced to seek alternative forms of expression, not for the sake of artistic experimentation, but as a means of preserving their identity and surviving professionally. This Master's thesis aims to reveal hidden aspects of a novella written during the Soviet era. The autobiographical story "The Enchanted Desna" by Oleksandr Dovzhenko serves as an example of a work created on the borderline between artistic freedom and political pressure. The tension arising from the author’s shift between the styles of socialist realism and modernism is the central theme of this visual study. The use of analogue and digital illustration, combined with collage, enables the creation of an additional narrative layer that complements the original story. The illustrations aim to capture moments of the author’s hesitation and his reflections on the limits of creative freedom, illustrated, for instance, through depictions of imagined dialogues with censors. At the same time, the project also explores the author’s thoughts on the fate of the Ukrainian village, visually highlighting themes of the Holodomor and repressions, subtly embedded between the lines through metaphors and allusions. The analysis of the work, conducted alongside research into the period from the 1930s to the 1950s, promotes a new reading of the novella, allowing it to be seen not only as a story about one family but also as evidence of the artist’s relationship with representatives of the dominant nation.
Keywords
Illustration, Soviet censorship, political persecution
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Language
English
Created during FHNW affiliation
Yes
Strategic action fields FHNW
Publication status
Review
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License
Citation
Yevdokymenko, K. (2025). Censored desna. Visualizing hidden layers within soviet-censored novel [Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst Basel FHNW]. https://irf.fhnw.ch/handle/11654/53636