Manifesto of Epithemism: Visual

English Abstract:The “Manifesto of Epithemism: Visual” sets out the foundations of the author’s cultural-philosophical theory of epithemism as applied to visual art. The author introduces and substantiates the concepts of “isotema” and “epithema,” employing a transparent plate model inspired by the ideas of P.A. Florensky for their graphic representation. An epithema is defined as a mental intersection of isotemas, capturing existing and possible connections between concepts, terms, and phenomena from various spheres of human activity. Using examples from visual art, including digital formats, the text demonstrates that a painting or screen can be regarded as analogs of the transparent plate, and that artistic space is multi-layered and inseparable from the viewer. Special attention is given to the “painting with a transition,” in which the front surface area on one and the same side of the canvas transitions into the back surface area, giving rise to “epithemic perspective”—a combination of linear and reverse perspective. The text is supplemented by explanatory notes (P.S.) clarifying the difference between the author’s model and Florensky’s mathematical approach, as well as the concept of the mental component of a painting.