He studied at the Kyiv Art Institute (1934–1941) under Fedir Krychevsky and Mykola Rokytskyi. It was during this period that his passion for monumental art and graphics took shape. During the Second World War, Kyrychenko served as an artist on an agit-train (propaganda train): he painted portraits of soldiers and partisans and created thematic compositions on railway cars.. At the same time, he participated in the decoration of the Palace of Soviets and the Ukrainian SSR pavilions at VDNH in Moscow (1945–1955).
In 1968, together with some of the most prominent Ukrainian writers and artists, he signed a public letter from cultural figures addressed to Leonid Brezhnev, demanding an end to political repressions. This document, known as the “Letter of Protest of 139” (or “Kyiv Letter”), was an appeal by the Ukrainian creative intelligentsia, scholars, and students to General Secretary of the CPSU L. Brezhnev, Chairman of the Council of Ministers A. Kosygin, and Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet M. Podgorny, demanding an end to unlawful political trials. After the letter was delivered to Moscow, the signatories faced KGB pressure. However, Kyrychenko, like his colleagues, refused to withdraw his signature, demonstrating solidarity with the demand for legality and the protection of civil rights.
In collaboration with his wife, Nadiia Klein, and his son, Roman, Stepan Kyrychenko created a number of significant monumental works: Harvest (1957, awarded a bronze medal at the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958); the triptych Our Thought, Our Song (1959–1960) on the facade of the Palace of Culture in Kyiv; the panel Ukrainian Song (1967) on 26 Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Street in Kyiv; the mosaics of the World War II Memorial Complex Triumph of Victory (1978–1984) in Kyiv; as well as other panels and mosaics in Myrhorod, Izmail, Lysianka, Yalta, and other cities across Ukraine.
In his art, Stepan Kyrychenko combined folk ornaments with modernist planes and expressive color. His works are distinguished by their clarity of composition, precise symbolism, and the expressiveness of drawing, which render his monumental works both grand and intimate.
He participated in All-Union, republican, and international exhibitions. Posthumous solo exhibitions were held in Kyiv in 1991 and 2001.
Kyrychenko’s works are preserved in the collections of the National Art Museum of Ukraine, the National Museum of Taras Shevchenko, as well as in museums of Myrhorod, Izmail, and Yalta, and in private collections. His monumental panels and mosaics continue to shape the face of Ukrainian cities.