Notes on Art Criticism
ISSN 2226-2180
Article Vol. 25, No. 1, 2025

Interpretation of ancient Egyptian mythological texts on the territory of Ukraine

Kateryna Gamaliia, Andriy Budnyk
Received 03.03.2025 Revised 26.05.2025 Accepted 30.06.2025 Pages 56–64 556 Views

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the hermeneutics of ancient Egyptian written monuments as interpreted by representatives of Ukrainian culture and monumental art. Art historical analysis revealed that the interpretation of ancient Egyptian written and pictorial monuments of transcendent content had its representatives in Ukraine from the time the texts were first translated. One of the earliest translators of the “Pyramid Texts” was Oleksandr Kotseyovskyi, a representative of Ukrainian Egyptology, who proposed the idea that ancient Egyptian religious texts were informative not only from a mythological standpoint, but also provided insights into all spheres of societal life. The stages of the journey to the afterlife, depicted on scrolls, contained information about the cultural, artistic, and technological knowledge and skills of the Egyptians. The inheritance of the traditions of ancient Egyptian writing and visual art by Ukrainian monumentalists was demonstrated through the example of a relief panel in Kyiv’s “Pivnichnyi” Trade Centre by Oleh Yerzhykovskyi. In system of signs and symbols, the artist revealed the process of filmmaking – a result of the activity of professionals from various areas. Cinematic production came to life thanks to creative achievements and technological advance. The composition of the alabaster bas-relief was based on a modernised, minimalist reinterpretation of the pictographic and hieroglyphic systems of ancient Egypt. The rhythm of the carved elements with a random repeat pattern on the wall of the cinema in the public centre of the 1960s references the monumental imagery of temples and tombs of ancient civilisations such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece. The practical value of the study lies in significance of ancient Egyptian semiotic systems in contemporary art and design, emphasising their intercultural and interdisciplinary potential

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Keywords

Ukrainian Egyptology; monumental and decorative art; hieroglyph; infographics; semiotic language

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Gamaliia, K., & Budnyk, A. (2025). Interpretation of ancient Egyptian mythological texts on the territory of Ukraine. Notes on Art Criticism, 25(1), 56-64. https://doi.org/10.63009/noac/1.2025.56

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