Dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Art Criticism in the specialty 17.00.05 – Fine Arts.– Kyiv National Academy of Fine Art and Architecture, Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. – Kyiv, 2018.
The dissertation is the first completed complex of investigation dedicated to the composition’s theory in the easel painting of Ukrainian art study.The scientific newness is the composition's structure study based on the Ukrainian art selected painting samples having begun since the late 19th up to the early 20th century.The goal is to make the inference concerning the composition's structure integrity and its elements, their functions as well as the relationships between them.The composition is regarded as the result of painting organisation where the artistic image and the content are expressed in the material form with the help of colour-plastic realization in this Dissertation. Aspects of composition organization are investigated thoroughly and corroborated by illustrations and graphic diagrams and sketches.
The results make us come to the consideration: the constructive basis of the composition containing as well as the theme, plot, the set of objects to say nothing of image, a point (even a tiny brush stroke), a spot, a line (explicit and conditional), the nuances of forms, the colours, the light and dark colours' gradation, the texture of materials of depicted objects and technical features of painting everything participates in the composition's integrity creation.Therefore each of them is the composition's structure element.
Also the study of the selected paintings confirms the factors of the visual image of motion and time determined by the scientists. It was also found out that objects located to the left-hand corner at the bottom of the picture's plane are more significant for the understanding of its meaning and very often it begins with the perception of the plot action's sequence, the meaning of the visual image of motion and the content of the entire composition.The results of the analysis the aspects of objects forms and space implementation let us assert that the significant factors of compositional integrity are not only the canvas format , but also its size; not only the proportional relation of the generalized masses, but also the relation of the small forms toward each other as well as to the entire format. Also, the location of forms not only on the canvas, but also in the illusory space; as well as small forms and nuances of plastic embodiment, nuances of tone (light or dark) and colour nuances, including the smallest brush stroke, spot, line (as well as contour, outline, silhouette or conditional line separating the forms), the texture of the material of the depicted objects and the way ofoverlaying the paint layer are also considered to be significant. Everything the above creates a general view of the objects forms and space, and at the same time acts as the factors of compositional organization and determines its meaning, and therefore can be included in the elements of compositional integrity.
This research proves that the structure of any composition, its elements are divided into two main groups: the form in its general sense (theme, plot and set of objects) and the form in the concrete accomplishment (colour-plastic implementation). Every element of the structure is interconnected with the help of analogies and contrasts that creates the artistic image and embodies the multi-valued meaning of that one. Due to the symbolic features of composition's elements (they represent the things they actually aren't) so the composition can be called as the symbolic form.
Key words: composition, easel painting, composition’s structure, construction basis, plot, form, colour-plastic implementation, picture space, colour, rhythm, moving, time, artistic image, symbolic form.
