Mosaics of Kyiv River Station
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Мозаїки Київського річкового вокзалу | |
 Interactive map of Mosaics of Kyiv River Station | |
| Location | Kyiv,  Ukraine |
|---|---|
| Designer | Ernest Kotkov, Velerii Lamakh, Ivan Itovchenko |
| Type | Monumentalism, mosaic |
| Beginning date | 1959 |
| Completion date | 1960 |
| Dedicated date | Protected by the state |
Mosaics of the River Station is a mosaic composition in the interior of the Kyiv River Station, which consists of several panels: "Dnieper - trade route," "Bogdan Khmelnytsky," "Seagulls on the Dnieper," and others.
According to researchers, the mosaics of the river station are the most expressive among the first works made in the style of Ukrainian monumental art of the 1960s.[1]
In 1957-1961, the Kyiv River Station was built on Postal Square according to the design of architects Vadym Hopkalo, Vadym Ladny, Hryhoriy Slutsky, and others.
Artists Ernest Kotkov, Velerii Lamakh and Ivan Litovchenko, authors of monumental mosaics on residential buildings on Peremohy Avenue, Boryspil Airport and Shulyavska Metro were invited to decorate the interiors.[2]
After the resolution of November 4, 1955, the resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR "On the elimination of redundancies in design and construction,"[3] the decoration of buildings with traditional stucco and decoration was prohibited. From then on, columns, cornices, and walls looked empty. In the 60s the artists were tasked to rectify the situation in view of new circumstances.
The design of the river station was the first significant work of Valerii Lamakh and Ernest Kotkov. According to researchers, this work co-authored with Ivan Litovchenko marked the "birth of a new style in Ukrainian monumental art and the strong establishment of mosaic panels in public interiors."
The artistic solution of the interior space was then perceived as innovative. For the first time, a large amount of cheap ceramic tile mosaics was used to decorate the walls. At that time there was no local base for smalt production. Therefore, the monumentalists used English colored cements and ordinary plumbing tiles, which were painted and re-fired. This bright material gave the stylized compositions a distinctive color. The innovation was manifested in the desire to unite the interiors with the help of art into a single whole, to test new materials and methods of laying ceramic mosaics. The novelty was an attempt to reveal in an allegorical form the purpose of the station building. Separate plots ("Dnipro - trade route," "Bogdan Khmelnytsky," "Ukraine," "Seagulls over the Dnieper," and others), united by a common theme, illustrated the past and present of the city, glorified the Dnieper, and revealed its purpose. The free comparison of different scales, alternation of planes, and rhythms was new. The artists managed to create an ornamental and at the same time epic cycle.[1][4]
In 2011, along with the reconstruction of the interchange at Postal Square, the reconstruction of the river station was planned. According to preliminary estimates, the cost of the work was to be $5 million.[5]
At the same time, the mosaic panels are in an extremely neglected state. During entertainment events that took place in the station, the mosaic was increasingly damaged. Vandals knocked down tiles and painted graffiti. They painted the lower section of the panel "Dnieper - trade route" black.
