Images representing the idea of independence appear in the Ukrainian art in connection with the national liberation movement under the leadership of the Ukrainian hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky. The image of the Ukrainian leader has become for the centuries to come a reminder of the Ukrainians’ struggle for the freedom of their land. The article shows the difference in the interpretation of the Cossack theme in the works of Ukrainian artists of the historical genre of the 19th and 20th century. It is noted that the younger generation of Ukrainian artists of the 21st century, with Russia's aggression against Ukraine, once again refers to Cossack images as ideals of freedom and independence.