Stylization and transformation of an image in the aspect of perception of an artistic image

Parukava Katsiaryna ORCID: 0000-0001-8863-6828 Master of Science, professional creative worker, fine art expert, member of the Russian Federation Artists Trade Union, member of the Eurasian Art Union of the section "Traditional Arts" 210041, Belarus, Vitebskaya oblast', g. Vitebsk, ul. Chkalova, 44, kv. 26 timkanpi666@mail.ru

Artistic creativity is symbolic by its nature. It operates with images, metaphors and symbols designed to evoke intuitive understanding and empathy of the viewer ^[1]. The artist, in his works, interprets the forms of the real world through his own perception and attitude to the depicted object, thereby exerting a certain emotional impact on the viewer. The aspect of perception occupies a significant place in fine art, and the impact of art on a person is connected not only with the content of the artwork itself, but also with the way of expressing the artistic form, with the emotional perception of certain shapes, colors, textures, etc. Stylization in fine art is directly related to the processing of real objectivity, without which artistic works will not be meet the desired artistic expressiveness when performing the set compositional tasks ^{[2, p.90]}.

In this regard, the relevance of this article lies in the need to comprehend the ways and techniques of stylization of the depicted object, through artistic means of expression, which in the perceived content are able to create a more emotional and expressive artistic image.

Stylization is one of the fruitful artistic techniques in the visual arts, implying the artistic transformation of images, phenomena and objects of the surrounding reality, in accordance with the artist's vision and, as a result, their display with elements of novelty ^{[3, p.10]}.

The term "stylization" is also associated with historically established styles and trends in art. The style expresses the essence and uniqueness of all artistic creativity. And if style, according to V.G. Vlasov's definition, is the most general category of artistic thinking, determined not by forms, but by the method of shaping itself, then stylization is the result of preliminary reflections or the initial determination of the stylized source, which is the conscious use by the artist of forms previously created in the history of art ^{[4, p.621]}. Vlasov V.G. divides stylization into temporal and spatial. In the first case, the artist is mentally transferred to another historical epoch, subordinating the stylized object to the previously established style, in the other, he seeks to organically fit his work into the spatial environment that had developed before him, while maintaining the compositional and stylistic integrity of the artistic image ^{[5, p.187]}. Moreover, if compositional integrity should be understood as the inimitable uniqueness of a particular work of art, then stylistics exists as if outside of one work, arising on the basis of mental comparison, comparison and evaluation. That is why style is a category of artistic perception and thinking of the viewer, not the artist. The creator himself, solving compositional tasks, does not think about style. That is why the style, as artists say, is "unintentional", it arises spontaneously, stylization, however, presupposes the presence of a ready–made role model - themes, forms, elements of a previously created style, which together give the artistic image originality, a new reality, different from everyday reality and surpassing it by the power of impression ^{[4, p.624]}.

Arsenyev I.K. characterizes perception as an active process of detecting orderliness in perceived content, which reduces all perceived forms to the simplest. At the same time, artistic perception is closely related to the aesthetic perception of the image, in which an aesthetic object is an object that causes emotion at an unconscious associative–symbolic level associated with the experience of the perceiving subject. And the broader the conceptual and symbolic basis the semantic content is based on, the more viewers will be able to perceive the idea of the work, and not necessarily consciously ^[6].

The mechanism of perception involves several autonomous levels of the human psyche: biophysical, behavioral and social, which are constantly interconnected with each other and, depending on the circumstances, play a leading role in the visual process. The visual perception of the artist is also not reduced to a simple observation of nature, it reflects his individual vision and ways of conveying his ideas about the subject of the image.

An artistic image, in turn, is defined as the result of a person's mental, spiritual, cognitive and creative activity, as well as a means of reflecting reality in art. Thus, S.N. Grishin in his article characterizes an artistic image as "the highest form of aesthetic imagery", and the reason for the emergence of an artistic image is not what appears to a person at the beginning of the creative process. The main feature is the experience of real feelings about its occurrence and the desire to share these feelings with other members of society ^[7]. In the structure of an artistic image, stylization is a technique of visual organization of figurative expression, a decorative generalization of nature, depicted objects using a number of conventional signs and techniques of shape change, in which the most characteristic features of the object are revealed and unnecessary details are discarded ^{[8, p.10]}.

Stylization as a special kind of generalization and simplification of objects of the surrounding reality has two main directions:

- artistic generalization, manifested in the image of a symbol, a sign, which gives the decorative image an allegory based on complex logical associations;

- pictorial generalization, manifested in the compositional, plastic and coloristic ordering of a stylized decorative image ^{[3, p.19]}.

The transformation of the image is, in turn, a large degree of change, transformation and processing of essential natural forms. When transforming the form, such techniques are used as hyperbolization, increase or decrease in the size of individual parts of the depicted object, in order to transform real natural forms into stylized or abstract, endowed with expressiveness and emotionality, to the detriment of realism and plausibility.

Candidates of Sciences Lanschikova G.A. and Skripnikova E.V. in their research note that when working on the form of an artistic image, both transformation and stylization are used simultaneously, since one technique complements the other and works to develop the main idea ^[9]. The stylization and transformation of an object implies not only the simplification of real forms – when solving certain compositional tasks, there may also be a complication of the design, the selection of the silhouette of the stylized object, the main elements, the representation of the form in an unusual context, a change in real color, etc., as a result of which the artistic image acquires the required symbolism.

Taking into account the laws of visual perception of the shape and proportions of the object, the transformation of the image has the function of concretizing the emotional-figurative state, through sharpening, drawing attention to the most characteristic features of the object with the introduction of the necessary decorative elements.

In the work on highlighting the main thing, stylistic techniques are of considerable importance, allowing to emphasize the expressiveness of the artistic image. Stylization can follow the path of extreme simplification and bringing it to subject symbols, or, on the contrary, by transforming and filling the image with decorative elements, complicate the artistic image, consonant with the main idea of the work being created ^{[2, p.99]}.

Depending on the degree of transformation of the surrounding reality, it is possible to distinguish such stylization methods as the iconic method, the geometric method, symbol-based stylization and the abstract method of stylization.

Let's now look at a specific material, how exactly this or that method of stylization affects the perception of an artistic image.

The iconic way of stylization is a kind of realistic image in a generalized form. At the same time, the stylization of the object acts as a way of artistic generalization, the purpose of which is to find simplified existing forms.

In the study of the specifics of the iconic symbol, M.S. Kukhta noted that iconic signs somehow copy the depicted object, they are always concrete and similar to the actual image of the object ^[10]. In the stylization of an iconic image, it is the rejection of some spatial characteristics and the preservation of the main features in the depicted object, the visual essence of the object is taken into account.

For example, Paul-Elle Ranson's painting "Witches around Fire", in which bodies, plants and other depicted characters and objects are practically deprived of volume, making the picture more like an application, an object of decorative and applied art. Discarding the insignificant details of artistic images, the author focused on the form and dynamics of the characters. The orange-scarlet bodies of the witches surrounding the cauldron with the brew give the impression of wildness, danger, aggression. Even their crouched poses are not static, they rather resemble compressed springs, ready to straighten up and start a ritual dance in the darkness dispersed by the fire ^{[11, p. 327]}.

Perception works here, to a greater extent, according to the law of completion, based on the property of the human brain to independently recreate the missing information, striving to visually complete the artistic image. Moreover, the emotional impression of the depicted silhouette remains paramount.

Geometric stylization is a type of iconic image in which the degree of stylization of the object is even greater. This method dictates the transition from a simplified form to generalized detailing, where in the stylization of the depicted object, the transformation of the image object through a variety of geometric shapes comes first ^{[12, p.42]}. An example of geometric stylization of objects of the surrounding reality is Cubism (the current in the visual arts of the early XX century).

To understand how the perception of an artistic image works through geometric stylization, let's analyze two examples of artistic works by one author. So, on the one hand, the painting by Pablo Picasso "Guitar and Violin", which depicts household items and musical instruments ^{[13, p.81]}. Like many other works of art of this stylistic orientation, the picture can be interpreted in different ways. Some see in it the souls of instruments, tangible and sounding, while others find in it a kind of illustration of a fragment of someone's life. As for the means of expression, the painting is distinguished by the simplicity of forms, straight and curved lines, using a small circle of calm color combinations that do not distract from the perception of form, and in general create a feeling of peace and serenity.

On the other hand, the painting "Three Musicians", which depicts three characters united in one harmonious orchestra ^{[13, p.83]}. Thanks to the method of stylization chosen by the author through square and triangular shapes, the images look heavy, and seem to be modeled separately from each other, but at the same time the contours allow you to see the mannered character of each character. The author's use of bright, contrasting color combinations in the painting, which are repeated in each of the three musicians, combine them into a single creative organism. In this synthesis, the images create a unique dynamic, which in the perceived content creates the impression of fun and theater.

Thus, we can say that the perception of a geometrically stylized image occurs at an associative-figurative level, the visual integrity of which is achieved through simple geometric shapes interpenetrating each other, enhancing the emotional perception of an artistic image through certain color combinations. According to the law of similarity, the constructed combination of shapes and colors, in turn, gives rise to a holistic plot that sounds convincing and bold.

Symbol–based stylization is stylization with the maximum degree of generalization and expression, expressing the idea or distinctive features of an event or phenomenon. In this case, the stylization of the image of an object in comparison with its real form is a kind of metaphor in which a certain symbolic meaning is embedded. Fragments of an artistic image are replaced by some other objects that are self-sufficient and recognizable individually, but collectively acquire a different figurative-symbolic context. The viewer's perception works according to the grouping factor, perceiving artistic images in a holistic way. For example, if you stylize a mouse in the form of a triangular slice of cheese, you may not understand that the artist depicted a mouse in this way, unless the artistic image is accompanied by a certain "hint" – a characteristic element or phenomenon that exists in reality. The content of a symbolic image is always broader than the object of which it is a direct reflection, and manifests itself to a greater or lesser extent in various historical trends and styles of art.

It is worth noting that the symbol-based stylization is most clearly expressed in surrealism (a trend in European and American fine art of the first half of the 20th century), in which artistic images represent a kind of "mind game", prompting the viewer's imagination to look for specific analogies and allegories. A similar example of stylization of the depicted objects can be seen in the works of Rene Magritte ^{[13, p.166]}. So, in the painting "Forest in Pempon", the crowns of trees are stylized in the form of a leaf, and the theatrical red curtain depicted against the landscape is perceived in the artistic content as a kind of end of the day.

Abstract stylization – implies an emotional and figurative reflection of an artistic idea based on associative thinking, and is the highest form of rejection in the image of non-essential realistic details of an artistic image, with their simultaneous replacement by abstract elements. Such visual forms are very characteristic of decorative stylization and are widely used in applied art, interior design, decorative painting, mosaic, stained glass, modeling, carving, etc. In its extreme expression, such stylization turns the image into an ornament, which is most abstracted from the content, with easily recognizable stylistic features.

According to V.V. Kandinsky's interpretation, abstract signs are perceived by similarity and analogy with real objects when it comes to non-existent images. If the similarity with real things and imaginative memory is not recognized, then the stylized sign becomes a conditional index of feelings or certain symbols, the meaning and message of which can only be intuitively perceived based on the subjective preferences of the perceiving subject, having created its own personal meaning in a particular case ^{[12, p.47]}.

In the perception of abstract stylization, any form and color limited to it has a certain psychoemotional effect, and in accordance with it, a person chooses preferred artistic images for himself and rejects undesirable ones ^{[8, p.19]}. 

Based on the above methods, the following stylization techniques can be distinguished, which work on the perception of the viewer, by achieving greater expressiveness of the artistic image:

– transformation of the form due to exaggeration, highlighting one or more individual qualities of the image object;

– identification of the nature of the plastic figure with the rejection of minor and minor details;

– generalization and simplification of the form with a change in the real contour of the depicted object;

– complication of the form by adding details that are missing in reality;

– emphasis on a decorative solution to the detriment of plausibility.

Stylization requires separating everything superfluous and secondary from the original image that interferes with a clear visual perception, concretizing and clarifying the essence of the artistic image, which should be understandable and easily recognizable regardless of the way it is stylized. Stylistic techniques allow you to create works of art that have increased expression, and the novelty and originality of the stylized image lies not in the extreme deformation of objects beyond recognition, but in an unusual way of displaying what you see. The factor of originality is concentrated in the very nature of stylization, it generates new attitudes to the perception of an artistic image and creates new guidelines for the imagination and a chain of visual associations.

Summing up, we can say that stylization is a special form of generalization and simplification of objects of the surrounding reality, taking into account temporal and spatial characteristics, and transformation, in turn, is a large degree of change, transformation and processing of essential natural forms, in order to endow them with greater expressiveness and emotionality, to the detriment of realism and plausibility. Stylization of an artistic image continues to be used throughout the development of fine art, and is the main means of reflecting an artistic idea and an integral part in the performance of the set compositional tasks. Stylized forms in combination with color enrich the artistic image, give it a versatile emotional characteristic, complicate the associative structure, and work on the perception of the viewer. It is perception that is most closely connected with the transformation of information, while forming images with which attention, memory, thinking and emotions operate in the future.

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