The metalanguage of the description of the coloristics of the cultural landscape

Griber Yuliya Alexandrovna Doctor of Cultural Studies Professor; Department of Sociology and Philosophy; Smolensk State University Director; scientific and educational center 'Laboratory of Color' 214000, Russia, Smolensk region, Smolensk, Przhevalsky str., 4 y.griber@gmail.com Other publications by this author

Ustimenko Yuliya Aleksandrovna PhD in Pedagogy Head of the Department of Design; Smolensk State University 4 Przhevalsky str., Smolensk, Smolensk region, 214000, Russia ustimenkoya@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Introduction. The study of the mechanisms of formation of basic concepts related to the phenomenon of coloristics of the cultural landscape has repeatedly become the object of research interest of specialists in the field of epistemology ^[1], theory of architecture ^[2] and design ^[3]. At the same time, the researchers unanimously noted the uncertainty of the established terminology and some confusion in understanding the concepts key to describing coloristics, explaining the situation by the fact that color theory is formed under the strong influence of fundamentally different disciplines (primarily physics, physiology, philosophy, psychology, design), in each of which a certain and well–established traditional understanding of color has already developed and coloristics.

Despite the urgent need to analyze the terms that have developed to describe the coloristics of the cultural landscape, such work has not yet been completed (see appendix: ^[4]). The purpose of the research presented in the article is to clarify and systematize the basic concepts that make up the metalanguage of reflections on the coloristics of the cultural landscape. In this case, "metalanguage" is understood as the language of description, which is needed for the study of another language (object language) (see e.g.: ^[5]). The metalanguage plays the role of a strictly defined coordinate system, with the scales and measures of which we measure the object under study, in this case, the coloristics of the cultural landscape.

The research materials have been compiled by theoretical works published to date, which discuss the conceptual apparatus of the coloristics of the cultural landscape. Special attention in the analysis was paid to classifications, definitions and theoretical models proposed by P. Green-Hermitage ^[3], K. Friedell Anter ^[6], W. Claren and G. Arnkil ^[1], J. F. Lanclo ^[7].

The hypothesis of the study was that the spatiality, variability, and multimodality of the coloristics of cultural landscapes set a special vector for its description: not "from above", but "from within", from the position of the viewer immersed in the color environment. This principle requires special terms that can take into account the specifics of how the inhabitants actually see colors in the cultural landscape, what they feel, how they remember and use them.

To achieve this goal, the method of non-formalized analysis of documents was used, aimed at interpreting the actual content, goals of creation and context of the formation of concepts describing the coloristics of the cultural landscape.

At the same time, the cultural landscape was considered as "a natural and cultural territorial complex formed as a result of the evolutionary interaction of nature and man, his socio-cultural and economic activities and consisting of characteristic combinations of natural and cultural components that are in stable interrelation and interdependence" ^{[8, p. 13-16]}.

The juxtaposition of different understandings of color: a given vs a perceived color. The analysis showed that the interest in how a person actually sees the color of a cultural landscape has become an incentive for the scientific study of factors affecting the perception of color in an open space, and discussion of the possibilities of color correction with their consideration. An important conceptual significance in this regard has acquired the juxtaposition of different understandings of color, which are important for discussing the chromatic characteristics of objects in design.

In particular, the Australian color theorist Paul Green-Hermitage writes about seven common understandings of color. It distinguishes between ordinary color, material color, encoded color, spectral color, psychophysical color, preset color and perceived color ^[3].

At the center of this division is the opposition of a given and perceived color, introduced into scientific circulation by the Swedish researcher Karen Friedell Anter in the book "What color is the red house?" ^[6]. A given color is understood as a surface color that can be identified under standard observation conditions using samples of a certain color system; for example, the Natural Color System (NCS). Perceived color is the color that an observer sees when looking at an object in a real environment. The texture of surfaces, the orientation of building facades relative to the cardinal directions, natural and artificial lighting, "color scalability" (differences in color perception on surfaces with different areas), the interaction of color with surrounding colors can radically change the perception of color in cultural space, affecting the juxtaposition of figure and background, the phenomena of color contrast and color constancy (see podr.: ^[9]).

For example, in an open space of a cultural landscape, a person inside it feels well how colors affect each other in the process of simultaneous contrast. As a result of this influence, the color of the object "shifts" towards a shade additional to the background color. Accordingly, the color that is surrounded by an additional one (for example, a red object on a green background or blue on a yellow one) will seem more saturated to the observer (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. Simultaneous contrast in the cultural landscape

Terms for denoting ways of communicating about a given color. Five additional color values that appear in the classification of P. Green-Hermitage indicate different forms of communication about a given color (Fig. 2-a). In everyday communication, these are color meanings that differ in form, which we use to convey important chromatically characteristics of a certain shade, first of all – its tone, lightness and saturation (bright red, scarlet, crimson, crimson) (see appendix: ^[10]) (Fig. 2-b – ordinary color). In professional communication, these are specific names of pigments and dyes (for example, carmine, alizarin, red ochre) (Fig. 2–b is the color of the material), the spectral profile of the color (Fig. 2-d is the spectral color), as well as different ways of color encoding used in color transmission on various devices (RGB), in color printing (CMYK) (Fig. 2-d – encoded color) and scientific research (CIE) (see e.g.: ^[11]) (Fig. 2-e psychophysical color).

Figure 2. Different ways of communicating about a given color

Terms denoting levels of color perception. The orientation of modern urbanism towards a person who has a body with certain physical characteristics and interacts with his environment leads to the active use of the term "visual comfort", which is defined in regulatory documents as "satisfaction of people with the visual environment, expressed by the level of illumination, brightness of light, visibility, reflection and psychological and physiological sensation of natural and artificial lighting" ^[12]. As a result, color is seen as an important tool that allows people to create an environment that is visually comfortable for life ^[13]. Attention in the analysis of the coloristics of the cultural landscape is also attracted by the parameters of visual discomfort, or visual stress, cognitive load ^[14] and the sensitivity of a person in the cultural landscape to patterns, glare and individual colors ^[15].

An important addition to the list of terms for describing the coloristics of the cultural landscape is the theoretical model presented by Ulf Klaren and his colleagues in the work "Levels of color and Light" ^[1]. Using concrete examples from architectural and urban planning practice, the authors convincingly prove that not only a given, but also a perceived color needs more careful detailing of the meaning. Like other types of sensory experience, color is perceived and known at different levels: first, at the basic level, a person perceives the formal aspects of color; then follows direct perception, which is accompanied by the formation of an impression of color, and then indirect perception – the level at which the cultural meanings of shades reflected in history, traditions and customs, scientific theories and art (see appendix: ^[16]).

In the modern philosophy of consciousness, the term "mental color" is found in the works of many theorists to denote the deep levels of perception and cognition of chromatic characteristics. At the same time, a closer analysis of such works shows that, using the same concept in their reflections, they understand its content differently. Some authors define mental color as "awareness of color" (see, for example: ^[17]) and usually consider this term to be synonymous with the concept of qualia (see, for example: ^[18-20]). However, other researchers describe mental color in terms of cause-and–effect relationships, for example, as a result of functional processes of the visual system (see, for example: ^[21]).

In cognitive research, the deep levels of color perception and cognition are also described in terms of color cognition and the collective unconscious. Color cognition is understood in this case as a system of culturally conditioned mental (cognitive) processes initiated by the perception of color, its categorization, correlation with other categorical structures and affective markers stored in memory, and subsequent verbal and nonverbal communication, and cognition is interpreted in the broadest sense of the word, starting from the retinal mechanisms of color differentiation and ending with nature sociocultural stereotypes of the creation, choice and application of color (see, sub-section: ^{[22, pp. 157-164]}).

The concept of the collective unconscious is introduced to describe cognitive processes that are not realized and inaccessible to direct conscious introspection (see, for example: ^{[23; 24]}). When processing color-related information at an unconscious level, the focus of attention is on subthreshold perception, implicit memory, implicit learning, priming effects (see, for example: ^[25]). The study of declarative knowledge, represented by judgments about the coloristics of individual objects, factual information, arbitrarily controlled motor skills and memories, is gradually replaced by the study of procedural knowledge, the content of which is not realized and represents hidden algorithms and rules, guided by which we judge objects of the surrounding world (see appendix: ^[26]).

Terms for describing the spatial characteristics of coloristics and its dynamics. Despite the importance of distinguishing all the designated concepts, they still turn out to be insufficient to describe the coloristics of the cultural landscape, since the proposed classifications deal exclusively with the color of a certain surface of a particular object. Understanding the coloristics of the cultural landscape as a complex field, including many interacting shades, the impact of which is determined by a number of factors, including the location of the viewer, the quality of the background, and the type of color carrier, leads to the fact that the metalanguage of thinking about the coloristics of the cultural landscape is complemented by new terms important for understanding the specifics of color perception in its spatial context.

This new set of concepts is introduced into scientific use by the French color theorist J.F. Lanclot ^[7]. In particular, analyzing the coloristics of the cultural landscape, he suggests highlighting and contrasting the global and detailed perception of color. Global perception – looking at the landscape from afar – allows you to identify the dominant shades, determine the type of differences between them and understand their quantitative and qualitative relationships. On the contrary, detailed perception shows additional chromatic qualities related to the texture of the material, the structure of the surfaces and their reflective properties (Fig. 3).

Figure 3. Global and detailed perception of color:

The urban landscape of Reykjavik, Iceland

The researcher also suggests using specific terminology in order to emphasize that the color of the cultural landscape is a dynamic phenomenon. Coloristics is constantly changing, both quantitatively and qualitatively, under the influence of many factors. Some color characteristics are temporary (non-permanent colors). They change as a result of changing seasons and daytime lighting dynamics. In particular, a common periodic chromatic element in the cultural landscape of different regions is fresh flowers. Some trees become national or local symbols during the flowering period. For example, in Buenos Aires, city streets and neighborhoods annually acquire a special chromatic appearance during the jacaranda blossom season, when the entire city is filled with lilac, purple and blue hues (see appendix: ^[27]) (Fig. 4).

Figure 4. Non-permanent color:

Jacaranda blossom in Buenos Aires, Argentina

The individual elements of the color structure (constant colors) are still static. These are, first of all, the constant colors of stone, terracotta, plaster and other similar materials, which are not amenable to change or change insignificantly, in contrast to the unstable and unforeseen random shades that change along with the constant movement of pedestrians and cars (see subsp.: ^{[22, pp. 64-70]}).

Conclusion. In general, the novelty of the research presented in the article lies in the fact that two main blocks of concepts are clearly distinguished in the metalanguage of thinking about color. They are formed around the comprehension and detailing of the meanings of a given and perceived color, the opposition of which in the description of the coloristics of the cultural landscape still retains its relevance.

While the block of concepts for describing a given color remains more or less stable, there are noticeable changes in the understanding of perceived color, due to the anthropological turn of modern research on the cultural landscape. The analysis indicates an expansion of the system of terms that are commonly used to describe the deep levels of perception and understanding of color in the context of the cultural landscape, and which define the boundaries of possible judgments. On the other hand, there is a clear increase in attention to the spatial nature of chromatic parameters and their socio-cultural dynamics.