Communicative and Visual Strategies in Children’s Book Illustrations of the Late 20th and Early 21st Centuries: Ukrainian and Chinese Experience
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32461/2226-3209.4.2025.351866Keywords:
children’s illustration, communicative and visual strategies, Ukrainian books, Chinese books, visual culture, comparative analysisAbstract
The purpose of this article is to identify and compare communicative and visual strategies used in Ukrainian and Chinese children’s book illustrations of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, as well as to determine their impact on the formation of children's reading experience, aesthetic perception and cultural identity. The methodology of the study is based on a systematic approach that combines visual-structural, cultural, semiotic and comparative analysis. Methods of visual text interpretation, content analysis of artistic means, as well as comparison of stylistic solutions in the illustrations of Ukrainian and Chinese children’s publications are used. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the interaction between illustration and text and the specifics of encoding cultural meanings through visual images. Scientific novelty. For the first time, a typology of communicative and visual strategies in the illustration of children’s books in two national traditions, which developed under the influence of various aesthetic, social and technological factors, has been summarised. Common trends have been identified, in particular a focus on emotional contact, narrative dynamics and interactivity with the reader, as well as certain cultural and artistic differences related to cultural symbolism, dominant styles, modes of visual thinking. Conclusions. The study of communicative and visual strategies in children’s book illustration demonstrates that Ukrainian and Chinese illustrative schools of the late 20th and early 21st centuries form different models of communication with children: the Ukrainian tradition tends towards lyricism, expressiveness and authorial stylisation, while the Chinese tradition tends towards the harmonisation of images, ornamentation and embedded cultural symbolism. At the same time, both systems actively use visual resources to develop the emotional sensitivity and narrative competence of young readers.
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