The article deals with the gestural system, which is an important component of the visual arts contributing to the creation of an artistic image. As painting and drawing developed, the aggregate of gestures evolved into a functional and transforming sign system. Depiction of gesture has served artists as an effective compositional tool since antiquity. Nevertheless, the theoretical research of this tool began only in the Renaissance, mainly within the framework of treatises written by some painters. The study of the gestural system structure, role and functions has been unsystematic and very limited for centuries. The process of researching issues related to the problem of gesture in art received a tangible impetus only in the second half of the 20th century. The article discusses several gestures used when creating a composition by the authors of paintings of a particular subject. An attempt is made to systematize the studied gestures in general, as well as to interpret their meanings.
Methodologically, the article is based on a comprehensive art analysis and textual analysis with a special emphasis on the examination of the visual representation of gesture.
The conclusion based on the results of the study of the selected materials contains two provisions. Firstly, the scale and depth of modern research in the field of the gesture system in the visual arts seem insufficient. Secondly, taking into account modern tasks and requirements of art studies, it is necessary to intensify the research of the system's sign nature.
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