PARAJANOV’S VISUAL POETRY. EXPERIENCE OF INTERMEDIAL ANALYSIS OF THE «ORPHEUS» COLLAGE

Abstract

The study is aimed at reconstructing the artistic algorithm and semiotic structure of Sergei Parajanov’s «Orpheus» collage, which originates from the private Grynyov Art Collection. The author considers this work as a specific form of a «compressed film», seeking to prove that the artist’s collage practice is not a random decorative improvisation. The primary goal is to identify the mechanisms of directorial thinking that integrate various cultural codes and temporal layers into a unified cinematic integrity, as well as to legitimize the collage as the genetic code of the unfilmed movie «Confession». Methodology. The paper presents original collage analysis methods based on the convergence of intermedial optics. The research is structured according to three levels: semantic (decoding of symbols), morphological (compositional chiasmus), and transit (scenographic logic). Iconological reduction methods were used to identify borrowed fragments of works by E. Barlach, F. Snyders, and Y. Alexandrov. Scientific Novelty. For the first time, a comprehensive reconstruction of the «Orpheus» collage has been carried out, as a result of which the sources of all its visual components have been established. The status of conceptual photography in the structure of the collage is substantiated: photographic inserts (fragments of sculptures and architectural models) are interpreted as documentary quotes from existence that legitimize the conventional space of the collage as a future screen reality. It is proved that Parajanov uses photography as a marker of the objective reality of cinema, contrasting it with painterly subjectivity. It is established that the figure of Amphion-Orpheus is the intersection point of the master’s biographical and mythological narratives. Conclusions. The research confirms that the «Orpheus» collage functions according to the laws of a cinematic synopsis. The revealed compositional chiasmus between the stasis of the monochrome mask and the dynamics of the falling vase creates the effect of a «frozen» frame, ready to unfold in time. The analysis showed that the symbolic inversion of color and texture allows the work to be viewed as an autobiographical manifesto. The proposed collage analysis methods allow perceiving Parajanov’s legacy not as a set of intuitive sketches, but as a holistic system of directorial design, where each object-sign performs a clear dramaturgical role.