Concepts of Analytical Art
Main
Concepts Highlights of Filonov's
system Ideology of Analytical Art
written by Pavel Filonov
Principles of
working on an Analytical painting written by Yurii Tumanian
The
very main concepts of the Analytical Art
Non-programmed method of form-creating: conscious limitation of rational imagery
From
particular to whole
From occasional to regular
From flat to 3-dimensional
From non-objective (abstract) to objective
Artwork is constant
flow of highest number of shapes
The image is constructive/meaningful
conclusion or emergence made out of suprematist "atoms"
In
any object the inner phenomena define outer (superficial) appearance and meaning
Highlights
of Filonov's system:
1. The state of tension of analytical
intuition.
2. The tension in the picture's consistency to the state of
biological connection of particles in nature.
3. Working with the point
as a unit of action (although tension can be achieved using any size of unit).
4. The ability to work from the particular to the general.
5.
Work with the clear shape or form.
6. Working by the emergence, which
means understanding of the main concept and finishing it by the ultimate improvment
of parts of the picture.
7. Colorful emergence, which is a tension of
the whole painting by the sudden appearing of the new color.
8. Free
treatment of time and space.
9. Paint any color using any color and any
form, using any form.
10. Every master may work using systems: realistic;
"made" primitive; abstract; using invented forms and combination of all of them.
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Ideology
of Analytical Art by Pavel Filonov (extract),
1930
A work of art is any piece of work made with the maximum
tention of analytical madeness. [The Russian is sdelannost, a noun that
Filonov formed from the verb sdelat - "to make/do." The closest translation to this work, invented by Filonoiv, would be "total completion".]
The only professional
criterion for evaluating a piece of work is its madeness.
In their profession
the artist and his disciple must love all that is "made well" and hate all that
is "not made".
The more consciously and forcefully the artist works on
his intellect, the stronger the effect the finished work has on the spectator.
Each brushstroke, each contact with the picture, is a precise recording through
the material and in the material of the inner physical process taking place in
the artist, and the whole work is the entire recording of the intellect of the
person who made it.
Art is the reflection through material or the record
in material of the struggle for the formation of man's higher intellectual condition
and of the struggle for existance by this higher psychological condition. Art's
efficacity vis-a-vis the spectator is equal to this; i.e., it both makes him superior
and summons him to become superior.
The artist-proletarian's obligation
is not only to create works that answer the demands of today, but also to open
the way to intellect into the distant future.
The artist-proletarian must
act on the intellect of his comrade proletarians not only through what they can
understand at their present stage of development.
Work on content is work
on form and vice versa.
The more forcefully form is expressed, the more
forcefully content is expressed.
Form is made by persistent line. Every
line must be made.
Every atom must be made; the whole work must be made
and adapted.
Think persistently and accurately over every atom of the
work you are doing. Make every atom persistently and accurately.
Introduce
persistently and accurately into every atom the color you have studied -- so that
it enters the atom just as heat enters the body or so that it is linked organically
with the form, just as in nature a flower's cellulose is linked with its color.
Painting is the colored conclusion of drawing.
Taken from Russian art
of the avant-garde: theory and criticism, 1902-1934 / edited and translated
by John E. Bowlt. Back
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This document, the spiritual and
ideological "manual" accompanying contemporary Analytical Art is the Canon
of Analytical Abstractionism, which is a collection of principles and rules
of work on analytical compositions. It was developed and written by Yurii Tumanian
using the experience of abstractionism as practiced by Pavel Filonov. Below you
can read the simplified version of this work:
Principles
of working on an Analytical painting
1.
The principle of the plastic value of the picture
The artistic value of
the analytical work is completely determined by visual perfection of the created
forms and composition from them. The content of analytical work is the plurality
of meaningful or imaginary associations which are spontaneously invoked when perceived
by prepared viewer.
2. Analytical principles
To analyze and
to research
Non-programmed principle of form-creating
Support is on intuition
and conscious limitation of rational fantasies
3. Constructive principles
Creation
of complete mutual dependency of shapes
Unity of all the consecutive elements
4. The principles of color harmony
The interconnection and unity of
all color components of work
Maintaining the dominance of form over color
(color is not an independent means of expression, but is one of the characteristics
of form)
The use of permanent harmonized color palette
5. The Principle
of Maximalism
The work is formed as an uninterrupted flow of maximum number
of different shapes
All parts of the work have an equal visual value, different
parts of work have an independent visual value
The achievement of illusory
fusion of color layer and shape
6. The Principle of Standardization
The
canvas of all the students in one group is of the same size to begin with
A standard technique of painting is utilized, which is tested prior to being used
based on the principles of analytical form-creation.
The following
sequence is being held in the process of analytical form-creating:
Introspective searching shape-creating > understanding, interpreting, and finding
the order > constructive/meaningful conclusion > volumetric transformation of
picture > all of these lead the painting to the "absolute madeness", absolute completion.
With all the principles and steps described here, the beginning of the analytical process may look something like this:
...and many, many more stages, untill they lead you to the final conclusion.
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Filonov's metaphors explaining his method:
Look and
have an understanding of art not as to What, but How it is done.What is interesting
is not the face of the clock, but the movement of the inner mechanism and progression
of time.
In order to explain the processes taking place in an object,
the next example is given:
It is possible by just watching the trunk,
branches, leaves and flowers of the tree, at the same time to know, or, by analyzing,
at least try to figure out how the tree's juces are sucked out from the soil by
its roots, then moved up and spread out according to the reaction on light and
warmth.
As an illustration of not being familiar with these concepts
while trying to judge this art you can read about a
complete misconception of Filonov and his School. The evaluation of Analytical
Art was put forward after merely superficial examining some of Filonov's work
and the opinion was formed on the base of their appearance, not on the creative
process employed. Back
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