Dialogue Between Text and Image in Six Pictorial Illustrations by Yulo Sooster for the Science and Humankind Edition, 1962
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: t. Th e subject of this study — the painted illustrations by Yu. Sooster (1924–1970) for popular science articles in the 1962 edition of the annual journal Science and Humankind. Th e articles included “Th e Puzzle of Human Brain Evolution” by M. Nesturkh, “Physics and Progress in Agriculture” by I. Revut, “Wealth of the Oceans” by L. Zenkevich, “New Developments in Stereochemistry” by O. Reutov, “Cosmic Matter and the Earth” by V. Fesenkov, and “Metagalaxy and the Universe” by A. Zel’manov. Th ese illustrations have not been extensively described or analyzed in the scholarly literature before. Th e author set out several tasks, including identifying the features of Sooster’s illustrations, correlating them with other visual materials accompanying the articles, analyzing how the artist worked with the text to create images, and comparing these works with Sooster’s studio paintings and graphics. Th e study concludes that Sooster did not follow a path of obvious adherence to the text. Instead, he preferred to construct images that were more abstract in nature, prompting the reader to engage in additional humanistic and philosophical refl ections. Th is approach was characteristic of publications under the direction of Yu. Sobolev, Sooster’s friend and the chief artist of the “Znanie” publishing house. Sobolev aimed to immerse the reader deeper into the essence of the scientifi c text and establish its connection with broader metaphysical problems by combining diverse images and using metaphors. In this way, the artist became a full-fl edged co-author of the researcher who wrote the article. Th is principle is evident in each of Sooster’s six illustrations. Th e study also discovers similarities between Sooster’s illustrations and the main direction of his creative work in several aspects: compositional techniques (such as the importance of the horizon line, contrast of scales, focus on the leading metaphorical element), coloristic solutions, attention to texture, and a conceptualphilosophical approach to selecting and combining images.
Author: Viktoria Vasil’evna Vasil’eva
Institution: Lomonosov Moscow State University
Language: English
Subfield: Visual Arts and Performing Arts
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4402930650