Résumé

The paper analyses pictorial elements of composition and their use in films, taking Sergei Parajanov’s The Colour of Pomegranates (1969) as a case study, and comprises three parts. In the first chapter of the paper, different approaches to the term ‘pictorialism’ are explained; frontality and stillness derived from traditional art forms are discussed with examples of such references in paintings, architecture and films. The second part includes a brief introduction to the Soviet avant-garde cinema and follows the journey of the making of The Colour of Pomegranates. Upon reflecting on the theoretical part, the third chapter analyses frontality in the original Armenian cut of The Colour of Pomegranates by Sergei Parajanov and the references used from Transcaucasian Miniature art, Armenian culture, religion and traditions in assembling the filmmaker’s visual choices. The study is based on specific scenes from the film, presenting Parajanov’s use of frontality from a mosaic of perspectives, which the filmmaker applied to create the poetic world of ashugh Sayat-Nova.