CONTEXTS OF ICONOTROPIZATIONS IN HRYHORII SKOVORODA

Abstract

Purpose. This article examines the contexts of iconotropizations that underlie the modelling of meanings in the texts of Hryhorii Skovoroda. The structural-semiotic functionality of iconic-conventional syncretism and figurative visualizations as essential mechanisms of meaning-making is ascertained. Emphasis is placed on the role of iconotropic models as cognitive instruments that effectuate the process of “visual metabolism” and facilitate the transformation of images into concepts. The influence of European emblematics of the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries, biblical hermeneutics, and ancient philosophy on the formation of Hryhorii Skovoroda’s iconotropic system is considered. Research Methodology. The study employs an integrated methodological framework combining hermeneutic, structural-semiotic, and cognitive approaches. The principles of interpretive hermeneutics have been applied, enabling the identification of the semantic centres of the text and the mechanisms of their actualization. The structural-semiotic method has been used to investigate iconotropic models as sign systems that mediate the interaction between the visual and the verbal. The cognitive approach has facilitated an understanding of the processes by which “visual thinking” is transformed in the formation of meanings. Results. The analysis conducted has established that iconotropization in the texts of Hryhorii Skovoroda functions as a universal mechanism of meaning-making, one that mediates the interaction between the visual and the verbal and constitutes a complex system of symbolic representations drawn from diverse contexts. Structural-semiotic forms of iconotropization have been identified, and it has been ascertained that they serve as fundamental units in the organization of artistic thought. It has been substantiated that iconotropic structures fulfil a cognitive function related to processes of abstraction, association, and nomination, ensuring the coordination of intra-imagistic experience with the verbal articulation of meanings. It has been demonstrated that iconotropization operates as a universal principle of textual organization, engendering a polyphony of interpretations and multi-layered semanticization.