ARTIST ANTON LOGOV AND HIS VISUAL DIARY OF THE RESISTANCE

Abstract

The article aims to study the transformation of the artistic style of the Ukrainian artist Anton Logov during the war in Ukraine. Specifically, it demonstrates the artist's transition from creating large-scale art installations to intensively working on a significant number of graphic and painted works, which form the so-called visual "Diary of Resistance." In these works, Logov portrays both the horrific realities of war – death, destruction, fear – and the enduring beauty of life that emerges through the conditions of daily stress in which Ukrainian society finds itself. The relevance of this study lies in elucidating the influence of visual imagery in contemporary art on the formation of collective national identity during wartime when culture becomes a tool of resistance and self-expression. Three main themes of Anton Logov's wartime work are classified and analyzed: urban landscapes, Black Sea seascapes, and illustrative representations of dramatic events: murders, artillery shelling, and missile strikes. To achieve this goal, the author analyzes specific drawings and paintings in detail, along with the artistic techniques used to create them, the materials, and the modes of artistic expression that emphasize emotional tension and symbolism. The article also explores the semiotics of symbols and meanings that shape Logov's contemporary artistic language. Particular attention is given to the use of recurring images of the sun and other motifs, traceable in the artist's works since 2014, which take on new resonance amid the war. The study also contributes to interpreting the meaning of symbols and motifs in the artist's work, which acquire special significance in the sense of reflecting Ukrainian identity in contemporary art, intertwining the pain of loss with hope for renewal. Personal and group exhibition projects from 2024 involving A. Logov are also mentioned. The study's result was the generalization and systematization of socio-cultural changes that, with the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, caused a change in the attitude towards everyday life and the creative approaches of one of today's iconic artists – Anton Logov.