Dominants of Regional Topos in the Artist’s Biography

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to define the key dominants of territorial topos and to reveal the specifics of their transmission to the artist’s biography. The research methodology is based on implementing the systemic approach by means of using a range of the following methods: the analytical method was used to grasp culture studies, philology, and arts studies sources in accordance with the paper issue; the philosophical method enabled considering biography within ontological discourse; the biographic method was used to characterise various domains of the artist’s being; the interdisciplinary method made it possible to comprehensively study the issue under consideration and obtain modern knowledge; the hermeneutic method was used to analyse the texts of the chronicles and to distinguish the typical features; the theoretical generalisation was used to summarise the research results. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that for the first time the author has revealed the key features of regional topos conceptualized by the master’s biography. Conclusions. Topos is an important paradigm of humanitarian studies reflecting the fundamental time and spatial ideas of macro-space and its laws. Regional topos is a form of image-bearing extention of questions referring to a certain territory, detailing its multifaceted nature, manifestation of its historical, civilisation, and social heritage. It restores valuable parameters of the locus’ being that have overcome various epochs and experienced different transformations but preserved stable codes, signs, symbols, as well as ethnic and professional traditions. Within the master’s biography, the aforementioned phenomenon is introduced by a complex of constituents where the predominant categories are as follows: “home” embraces the fundamentals of establishing the master’s world outlook, explains creativity issues, behaviour patterns; “childhood” reflects the image of happiness (or the wish to achieve it), trying to renew harmony, absolute love; “Small Motherland” implements the connection with native location revealing regional archetypes and specific mentality; “nature” demonstrates the unity of a person, matter, pantheistic restoring of strength, seeking the eternal creative themes, and the ability of occurring within cyclical time; “road” symbolises the content of the personality’s life path focused on eternity and spiritual immortality. The aforementioned toposes in chronicles give a key to understanding the master’s being. They do not function separately but interact, thus producing unique colouring and the sense colouration of the master’s ontology.

Key words: region, topos, regional topos, the artist’s biography.