History
of Ukraine
Doctor of Historical
Sciences, Professor Chubina T.D.
(Fire Safety Academy
named after the Heroes of Chornobyl, Cherkasy City)
FAMILY HISTORY AS MEANS OF STUDYING CULTURAL AND INTELLECTUAL HISTORY OF
HUMANKIND (BASED ON TULCHYN BRANCH OF THE POTOTSKYI FAMILY)
Human
activity is the basis and prerequisite of the human race history, the history
of mankind, all the history of culture in general. Culture is a way of
regulation, conservation, restoration and development of all the social life, being
at the same time the principle of connection with an individual, the means of its
joining a social life.
The
concept of culture is worth exploring because of correlation with the concept
of nature against which culture acts as an extension, converting of what existed,
given to a person by nature. It should be noted that transforming and improving
nature, people at the same level transform and improve themselves.
The
question of progress in culture still remains one of the most complex. Cultural
progress can not be determined only by technical improvements or economic
progress, though it is clear that even this produces not the last impact.
Progress in culture is a continuity of cultural elements and values in the
straightforward historical development of society. The main criterion of
cultural progress is the improvement of an individual itself, especially moral.
It’s morality that ensures preservation of human, personal dimension of
cultural and historical movement of humanity. Human vital activity development and
progress of culture as a means and form of organization of this vital activity
act as a process of resolving contradictions between the potential universality
of an individual and its actual limitation by a certain period, by a system of
norms and values.
A
family history that serves as a constructive means of social, cultural and
intellectual history research is relevant in this perspective.
The
Ukrainian and world cultural history is represented by a number of prominent
families. Among them a special place is held by the Pototsky family
multi-faceted activities of which deployed within large temporal and spatial
space.
Each
generation of the Pototsky family celebrated the presence of extraordinary
individuals who made outstanding contributions to the economic and cultural
development of the region, the country and the nation. The history of the Pototsky
family at the genetic level has proved that heredity has a decisive influence
on the spiritual world of an individual.
Ukrainian
estates of the Pototsky family at all times, and especially at the end of the XVIII
– in the first half of the XIX century, were the outstanding cultural centers, were
important centers of spiritual life of the society. For example, manor
building, which was actively carried on by the Pototsky family, acted as a
synthesis of architecture, plastic arts and nature united in a coherent
compositional work. The Tulchyn Estate is an outstanding proof of this fact.
Typically,
the center of the estate was a manor house together with farm buildings. The
environment in which they existed was the nature – an arranged park, an orchard,
a greenhouse, gardens, ponds, pools and decorative water devices – leapers,
waterfalls and cascades. The use of plants for space management that constantly
changed their appearance made the life of an estate or a manor aesthetically
and emotionally unique and original. A modern human can hardly imagine what an important
role gardens and parks played in the community life.
Estate
owners spent a lot of time in gardens and parks and therefore tried to equip
and decorate them as best they could. Peculiarities of architecture, green
spaces more or less reflected lifestyles, tastes and cultural level of the estates
and manors owners. Old mansions and estates were the special cultural world,
nothing to compare with, the environment for communication of artists, writers,
philosophers, musicians as well as the world of high architecture, garden and
park art.
As
a form of nature and various kinds of art synthesis garden and park art was associated
with historical styles and developed in interrelation with philosophy,
literature, aesthetics of everyday life, art, architecture, music
simultaneously reflecting different attitudes of people to nature inherent in
each historical era. A new type of garden and park art appeared within a
definite period of time in a certain place only when there were created
corresponding socio-economic, cultural and historical conditions. From this
perspective stylistic image of a park can be regarded as a part of culture of a
particular society at a certain stage.
By
virtue of the geographical location and historical destiny Ukraine became the
scene of lively artistic interactions in multi-national and during the era of
feudalism even multi-religious state which was the Rich Pospolyta.
The
peculiarity of the manor architecture and garden and park art of the Pototsky
family was in their development that took place in the context of all-European
culture and reflected its ideological and artistic diversity. Some stylistic
features typical of these types of art came to Ukraine from the West earlier
than to Russia.
A
prominent role of estates, gardens and parks in the lives of entire generations
is confirmed by their importance in all forms of art – painting, arts and
crafts, literature, poetry and music that constantly and mutually enriched each
other.
Gardens
and parks were a peculiar kind of extension, addition and lively commentary to
the national literature. Over time, they underwent significant transformations
caused both by their natural being, which constantly developed and regenerated,
and by changing of styles and tastes of the owners. In addition, many gardens
and parks were gradually filled with works of architecture and sculpture, new
developments enriched their semantic structure and composition. Thus, the
monuments of garden and park art were the synthesis of diverse cultures of
different times.
Palace-and-park
ensembles, home gardens parks, urban gardens were created as a synthesis of
architecture, art and nature. Quite often they became a backdrop for scene
compositions, literary works including poetry. Estates and garden-and-park
ensembles from the foundation time and until the beginning of the XX century
were real museums as they contained priceless collections of art and culture
works.
"Memorability"
of old estates, mansions and parks is of particular value which is due not only
to the names of prominent figures of culture and history, but also to the
memory of earlier epochs and cultures.
Another
socio-cultural phenomenon which is an integral layer of the spiritual culture
of the Rich Pospolyta of the XVIII
– first half of the XIX century is a generic library of the Right-Bank Ukraine,
and in particular the Tulchyn library of the Pototsky
family. At the same time libraries were an integral part of the cultural
processes within the ethnic Ukrainian lands in the XVIII-XIX centuries which at
that time were the part of other countries: the Rich
Pospolyta, then the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires. Restoration of the history
and the collection of the Pototsky family library
allow to define its role in the cultural life of society, bibliophily and
collecting.
The very fact
of family libraries existence shows traditional interest in books, their
prominent role in the lives of families, preservation of the library collection
integrity and its replenishment.
The
acquisition of the past heritage, its critical understanding and use are
important terms of gradual motion of modern science as well as the society in
general. In this context, this study raises important social and economic,
moral and psychological phenomena as charity.
The question
of charity in Ukraine has been for long held back and charity itself was
considered as biased and prejudiced. But recently the history of charity
movement and activities of certain individuals and families attracts increasing
attention of historians since charity is an important aspect of community life
and relations between the state and civil society.
In the
second half of the XIX century Ukraine had an extensive system of charitable
institutions and organizations. There were private funds invested into creation
and maintainance of shelters, hospitals, schools, kindergartens, public
buildings construction. The study of the
Pototsky family charity experience helps to solve more deliberately
the young generation support problems, meeting its desire for education as well
as recovery and enrichment of spirituality and human values in general.
The Pototsky family covers a great period in the
history of Ukraine. It is important to emphasize that the Pototsky family were not just spectators or those
who fixed events, indeed they were their participants, creators of the
socio-political and cultural processes, the founders of cultural traditions and
trends.