Creativity and Experiments in the Field of Stained Glass by the Kharkiv Monumentalist Hennadii Myronenko

Abstract

The article examines the creative work of the Kharkiv-based monumental artist and stained-glass master Hennadii Myronenko (born in 1959) as a representative of the Kharkiv school of artistic stained glass and a contemporary successor of its traditions. The artist’s creative work is analysed within the context of the development of contemporary stained-glass art, particularly in the sphere of private interiors, where stained glass increasingly appears not merely as a decorative element but as an independent artistic object capable of shaping the light-and-air environment and the emotional atmosphere of space. The study emphasises the artist’s individual creative method, his consistent engagement with experimentation in form, material, volume, and light, as well as the synthesis of the traditions of the Kharkiv school with innovative artistic and technological approaches. An art-historical analysis of selected stained-glass works by Hennadii Myronenko is conducted, revealing their structural and compositional solutions, figurative and semantic content, colouristic features, and technical and technological aspects of execution. Particular attention is paid to the artist’s use of mixed techniques, including the Tiffany copper-foil method, fusing, the application of blown glass, volumetric glass and forged metal elements, as well as to the role of artificial illumination as a key factor in shaping the artistic image and the variability of stained-glass perception. The study demonstrates that the artist predominantly turns to abstract and natural motifs, which contribute to the creation of a harmonious, light, and psychologically comfortable interior environment. The combination of various types of glass, experiments with texture, colour, and spatial effects, along with active work with light, enable the artist to expand the boundaries of the traditional understanding of stained glass and to imbue it with the qualities of a contemporary art object. The article introduces new factual and analytical materials into scholarly circulation and outlines Hennadii Myronenko’s contribution to the development of contemporary monumental art in Kharkiv.