Authors

Tsarinny Ilya V.
About the role of stylization in russian easel sculpture of the 1990-2010's

Architecton: Proceedings of Higher Education №3 (83) September 2023

This article examines stylization, an important technique of the artistic language of Russian easel sculpture of the 1990s - 2010s, and analyzes the contextual specificity of this method of artistic utterance. A brief explanation of the specifics of stylization as a formative element of artistic language is offered. Special attention is paid to the process of creating figurative expressiveness by means of stylization. Ways in which the semantic field of an artistic work is formed are identified. The novelty of this research work lies in the fact that the work of Russian sculptors in the late 20th – early 21st century is understudied, and the issue of stylization in the theory of sculpture has not been elaborated well. It is noted that stylization became a leading technique at the turn of the century.
Following a brief outline of the use of stylization in sculpture throughout the history of world cultures, an analysis of modern easel sculptural compositions is performed, leading to the conclusion that stylization tools used in 21st century Russian sculpture feature relevance and diversity. The main approaches to treating the figurative component through stylization are highlighted, and it is noted that stylization in sculpture tends towards a sign (hieroglyph). Two main approaches to solving the problem of stylization are identified: synthetic and phenomenal. The first approach combines the experiences of world cultures, or the main stylistic movements, and represents author's representation or reference in a given plastic system. The second is a unique, personal approach to imaginative narrative. The characteristics of these approaches are illustrated by concrete examples from late 20th– early 21st century Russian sculture. In conclusion, the outlook for the development of stylization as one of the most important compositional techniques of modern plastic arts is evaluated.