FORMATION OF THE CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC ENVIRONMENT AT THE KREMENETS LYCEUM (1920–1939)

Abstract

The article presents a comprehensive study of the specific features of artistic activity at the Kremenets Lyceum during the interwar period. It examines the historical factors that contributed to the establishment of a prominent educational institution, which became a center of educational, scientific, and cultural processes in the region. The study identifies the characteristics and trends of cultural and educational activities in the fields of music and visual arts, theatre, and artistic photography. Based on archival documents and materials from contemporary periodicals, the names of leading representatives in the field of art have been established, their achievements analyzed, and their role in shaping the cultural and artistic environment of the Kremenets Lyceum in the 1920th–1930th determined. The directions of concert activity of student choral and instrumental ensembles are traced, and the forms of auditions (lecture-concerts) conducted under the direction of Jerzy Hashe in the institutions of the Kremenets Lyceum are examined. The teaching staff of the Music Vacation Center of the Kremenets Lyceum is analyzed, and its role in improving the qualifications of music teachers, leaders of amateur orchestras, and folk choirs is clarified. It is established that during the interwar period the Kremenets Lyceum became a significant touring center: leading soloists from Warsawa, Krakow and Lviv, as well as opera and drama companies, contributed to raising the cultural level not only of the lyceum students but also of the local population. The activity of the theatre group of the Kremenets Lyceum under the direction of actress Iza Kunitska of the «Reduta» theatre is highlighted, and the repertoire of the group is examined. The cultural and artistic activities, as well as the teaching staff of the Art Vacation Center of the lyceum, are analyzed, and the exhibition activities of local and prominent Polish artists are traced. The establishment and activity of the Kremenets School of Photography are studied; its photographs depict the city’s architecture, surrounding landscapes, and documentary images of student life, demonstrating the high professional level of their authors. It is concluded that the multifaceted activities of the Kremenets Lyceum contributed to the activation of students’ creative potential and to the establishment of the institution as an important cultural and artistic center of the region.