Painting techniques in Leo Tolstoy's early Caucasian writing

The intermedial studies open a highly promising prospect for a systematic analysis of intersemiotic relations. This is particularly concerning for Leo Tolstoy’s writing that possess a noticeable visual component. The paper discusses the phenomenon of painterly visualization present in Leo Tolstoy’s Caucasian prose written in the mid-nineteenth century. The scrutiny especially aims to identify, describe and analyze the painting techniques used by the writer. The research database includes four Tolstovian novels: “The Raid: A Volunteer’s Story” (1852-1853); “Forest cutting. Juncker’s story” (1853-1855); “Demoted. From Caucasian memories” (1856) and “The Cossacks” (1852-1863). The research sample counts 262 text micro-fragments containing the verbal elements of painterly visualization. The intermedial approach joint to contextual and quantitative analysis serves as a scrutiny methodological tool. The author argues that in his early Caucasian prose Tolstoy uses some devices of creative visualization “borrowed” directly from painting, among which the most important are: 1) color painting, that is to say an explicit verbalization of chromatic and achromatic colors and their main characteristics (hue, saturation and brightness); 2) achromatic and color contrasts; 3) color repetitions, acting as a tool of color and sense harmonization; 4) verbal imaging of related colors and reflections. All these painting methods diversify the ways of communication between author and reader, they help Tolstoy to create the plot and story elements and, in some instances, are used as conductors of the author’s philosophical views. Moreover, for some cases, Tolstoy makes from the color an almost independent tool that coexists on a par with the word and serves for visualizing the sense. It is indicative that a somewhat similar idea of color’s autonomy will be later articulated by the Russian avant-garde artists. This point undoubtedly requires an ulterior serious analysis. Beyond that, the painting devices engaged by the writer permit to avoid an excessive aesthetization and contribute to a predominantly realistic display of characters, events and environment. Further study of interaction between media in the Leo Tolstoy’s works seems to be of particular interest because it may lead to a more precise identification of his author’s style.