Still life as a means of forming compositional thinking of first-year students of architectural specialties

Abstract

The article provides theoretical justification for the role of still life as a significant stage in the formation of compositional thinking among first-year students in architectural specialties. Still life is considered as a genre of fine arts, a component of academic training (academic drawing and painting), and an integrative means that combines artistic perception, analytical comprehension, and figurative generalization of the object environment.

The study focuses on the functional possibilities of still life as an educational tool that ensures the development of observation skills, analytical thinking, and the formation of abilities to organize visual space based on compositional principles, tonal relationships, and colour interconnections. The importance of the main compositional principles as a theoretical basis for constructing an image and achieving its integrity is determined.

The process of creating a still life is analysed as a consistently organized system of educational and creative stages – from the formation of the artistic concept to its material realization. It is shown that such a structure ensures the coordination of analytical, constructive, and figurative-interpretative components of artistic thinking, promotes the development of spatial imagination, the ability for compositional generalization, and the formation of an individual creative vision.

The role of artistic materials, techniques, and methods of execution as factors determining the character of conveying form, tone, colour, and texture is outlined. It is emphasized that their varied application contributes to the formation of an individual creative approach, particularly through combining different artistic techniques and within the context of decorative interior design.

It is proved that still life is a significant means of forming compositional thinking, developing the ability for holistic image organization and artistic modelling of the environment in the professional training of future architects. It is emphasized that the combination of academic traditions of drawing and painting with individual creative exploration ensures the holistic character of students’ artistic training and creates a foundation for their further professional development in architecture, design, and fine arts.