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.
Bobrinskaya E. Kollazh v XX veke [Collage in the 20th century]. In: Kollazh v Rossii.
XX vek [Collage in Russia. 20th century]. St. Petersburg, Palace Editions, 2005,
p. 7–13. (in Russ.)
Danielsson B. Gogen v Polinezii [Gogen in Polynesia]. Transl. from Swedish by
L. Zhdanov. Moscow, Iskusstvo, 1973, 278 p. (in Russ.)
Kaleidoskop Paradjanova. Risunok, kollazh, assamblyazh [The Parajanov Kaleidoscope.
Drawings, Collages, Assemblages]. Comp. by Z. Sargsyan, annotations by
Z. Sargsyan and L. Abrahamian. Yerevan, Sergey Parajanov Museum, 2008, 155 p.
(in Russ.)
Katanyan V. Paradjanov. Tsena vechnogo prazdnika [Parajanov. The Price of the
Eternal Festival]. Moscow, Chetyre iskusstva, 1994, 72 p., 84 ill. (in Russ.)
Parajanov S. Ispoved’ [Confession]. Comp. by K. Tsereteli. St. Petersburg, Azbuka,
2001, 652 p. (in Russ.)
Steffen J. Parajanov’s Playful Poetics: On the ‘Director’s Cut’ of The Color of Pomegranates. Journal of Film and Video, 1995–1996, vol. 47, no. 4, p. 17–32.
Steffen J. The Cinema of Sergei Parajanov. Madison, WI, and London, UK, The
University of Wisconsin Press, 2013, 306 p.