Censored desna. Visualizing hidden layers within soviet-censored novel

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.