The Elements Merge Into A Coherent Image
An exceptional artist sifts through the fragmented sensations to create a connection between what is factual and what becomes symbolic.
The Russian director, Sergei Eisenstein, digs hard in his memory to bring back to the surface the string of elements characteristic of the street. But the perception of the street does not yet exist, because the elements remain disparate, not forming a unity. Only in the second phase do they merge into a complete image. Only then, says Eisenstein, does he remember the street. By carefully observing this process in your own consciousness, the association of elements starts spontaneously. He notes that the phenomenon is identical in the case of artistic creation. The evocation of the street follows the same mechanism by which, in the creative process, the unique, whole and meaningful image is born from its disparate elements. In both cases, the same law governs how the particular reaches, through the whole, our consciousness and feelings.
Every detail is preserved in memory and sensations, as part of a whole. Eisenstein continues his reflection: in practical life, but also in the process of remembering, it is important to get over the first phase as quickly as possible in order to reach the evocation of the whole. In art, however, the emphasis changes. In order to achieve its goal, the work of art follows exactly this process of sedimentation of images in the consciousness of the viewers.
Thus, the method of image elaboration must re-create that process by which, in life, new images are formed in the consciousness and senses of man. As a conclusion, Eisenstein believes that an artist who wants to express an image through factual representations should follow the same process, similar to how memorizing the streets of New York makes the transition from fragments to the whole.
What impact does fragmented perception have on the formation of a unified image, when the artistic process becomes a catalyst for fusing them into a meaningful expression?
Eisenstein rummages hard in his memory, trying to gradually extract the characteristic details of the street, a process similar to the stage of sensory perception, in which the brain initially stores information piecemeal. At first, the elements of the street remain disparate, without forming a unitary image. Only in the second phase, they merge, gradually rebuilding into a coherent whole. At this moment, says Eisenstein, he remembers the street, carefully observing how the whole picture is born from its individual elements. As in the process of recall in neuroscience, every detail contributes to the formation of a complex and sedimented memory in consciousness.
Eisenstein extends this observation to artistic creation: in art, this process of sedimentation of images must be deliberately recreated in order to influence the consciousness of the viewers. In practical life, the goal is to get to the big picture quickly, but in art, fragmentary details play an essential role, allowing the viewer to experience the process by which an image is formed and fixed in memory. Thus, Eisenstein claims that an artist who wants to express a powerful image should proceed as in recalling the streets of New York, aiming to create a sedimented experience, where the details come together to form a memorable whole.
The process of artistic creation begins with disparate elements floating in the medium of memory, like particles in the water of a lake. Gradually, they sediment in successive layers of consciousness, under the action of the creative process. Initially, the representations remain separate in perception, but through processes of artistic fusion, they consolidate into a meaningful and whole image. In practical life this sedimentation must be rapid, but in art, as in the formation of sedimentary rocks, the process is deliberately slowed down. The artist digs through the layers of sensations, aiming to re-create in the viewer's consciousness that gradual transformation from disparate factual elements into a new unitary structure. This artistic sedimentation thus becomes fundamental in the formation of images, where the particular and the whole merge into a distinct evocation, just as individual particles transform into the solid rock of creative expression.
Leadership facilitates the transition from speculative separation to experiential unity, promoting a dynamic synthesis between abstraction and emotional vitality.
Elements merge into a coherent and expressive image when disparate particularities are integrated into a unitary whole. This process reflects the natural mechanism of perception and memory, in that the whole acquires meaning only through the organic connection of the details. I say this because Eisenstein emphasizes the importance of the process of sedimentation and synthesis of images in the consciousness of the viewers, every time he creates a work of art that seeks to evoke authentic experiences. Starting from the belief that art must recreate the natural processes of image formation in the human mind, Eisenstein offers a model by which art becomes profound and effective, capturing the essence of transforming fragments into memorable symbols.
* Note: Ion Barna - Eisenstein, Tineretului Publishing House, 1966.
