Article

Name: Notes on the Poetics of Parajanov

Authors: L. A. Abrahamian

Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of National Academy of Sciences of Armenia

Abstract: The author in the form of notes discusses the poetics of Parajanov’s creativity – his realized and unrealized films, collages and life episodes. The film “The Color of Pomegranates” is analyzed in more detail, in which the author acted in a few episodes and is therefore familiar with some of the inner sides of its creation. It is shown how Parajanov visualizes the poetry of the 18th century poet and ashugh (bard) Sayat-Nova, building a new type of poetic cinema, using visual rhymes and repetitions. When the film director was deprived of the opportunity to make movies, he created collages – “pressed films”. The Parajanovian methods of creating collages and the collage principle of his films are explored. The sources and tendencies of the development of Parajanov’s artistic works, his understanding of the canon and improvisation, methods of constructing and transforming images are analyzed. The film director’s adherence to universal color classifications (red, white, black) is revealed with the apparent polychrome coloring of his films and to multivalued and archetypical semantic images, such as “window-cage” or “window-frame-mirror” triad, the last member of which allows the director to operate with twin and androgynous images.

Keywords: “The Color of Pomegranates”, pseudo-ethnography, visualization, collage, prison art, authenticity, censure and self-censure, canon and improvisation

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