[Gooshin]

In Russian, there is a word, решение (reshenije), which translated means 'solution'.

Тhe way this word is used with reference to art is very articulate and packs alot of meaning in Russian, and i have been trying to find an English equivalent but so far cant come up with anything concrete.


In Russian the word is used to describe the efforts of the artist when it comes to creating a scene, it depicts that particulars arists decision to use this or that colour, to use this or that fabric, to shoot from this or that angle.

This is partly due to the nature of art, and the underlying idea that there is an obstacle that the artist must overcome, "to take a scene and make something out of it", hence the word "solution".

A brick is a brick, but someone creative enough can turn it into art, he has "solved the problem of creating art from something that inheritly is not art".

Using this word in dialogue also has the tendency of both favoring an artists "take on the matter" while clearly showing that the [person making the comment] would or could have done it otherwise (not necessarily better, just different).


and so... is there a single word in English that could transmit such information?

whenever i want to comment on someones work i want to use that russian word, then my brains translator kicks in and the only thing i can say is "i like the way you have taken that shot" or "i really like your choice of colours in this scene"

but thats a mouthful!

any ideas?

[amateur6]

In Russian, there is a word, решение (reshenije), which translated means 'solution'.

[...]

In Russian the word is used to describe the efforts of the artist when it comes to creating a scene, it depicts that particulars arists decision to use this or that colour, to use this or that fabric, to shoot from this or that angle.

That's a wonderfully poetic example, IMHO, of the way another culture has solved a problem that English-speakers haven't even thought of. Much as the Japanese did with "bokeh".



I'm trying to think back to art school critiques, but it seems like "I really like the way you did X" is the best way say it. In the broad scheme, you could say "s/he has a very particular style" or "made good/unique choices" but I can't think of a short way to cut to the chase.

[falconeye]

I am not a native speaker but I like the question.

In German, solution translates to "Lösung [German]" and "Auflösung [German]". The latter already implies that a creative process led to the solution.

"Auflösung [German]" translates to "decomposition" or "resolution" or "rescission [law]".

I believe that rescission and reshenije may share the same indo-european root. But the meanings got separated.

Could any native speaker comment wether the term rescission can be used outside law and what it connotations are?

EDIT: rescission comes from "rescindere [Latin]" which means "annuler / cancel". Does the russion word have such connotation?


Other than this, I think that "inspiration" may come close.

[tybeck]

I can't think of a single exact word, but "artistic license" or "composition choices" might come close. We have 400K+ words in English, so there should be some word that fits.

[OniFactor]

I can't think of a single exact word, but "artistic license" or "composition choices" might come close. We have 400K+ words in English, so there should be some word that fits.

don't be surprised if there isn't a word. just like bokeh, and umami, these words refer to things that can only be described by multiple english words.

[falconeye]

don't be surprised if there isn't a word. just like bokeh, and umami, these words refer to things that can only be described by multiple english words.

Yes. But then sometimes, a foreign word gets adopted, like 'weltbild'

Most East European languages actually have the same word as Gooshin is looking for:
Czech: řešení
Finnish: ratkaisu
Polish: rozwiązanie
Russian: решение
Slovak: riešenie
Slovenian: rešitev

[ryan s]

Decisive?

That's the one thing I really love about German...you can make a compound out of anything. In English, we'd have to use separate words

[Gooshin]

okay lets put a different spin on this,

lets say for you native english speakers, if someone was to comment on your work in the following manner:

"i like how you approached this shot/scene"

would you consider this to be highly complimentary or just a simple comment?

[ryan s]

If left alone: I consider it a mild compliment.

If you expand on it, saying something like "...because of the way the sun relfects off the ...whatever"...then I would consider that a high compliment.

In simple terms lol...quantifying the statement makes it mean more

[foxglove]

This won't answer your question, but it might introduce you to some interesting words and concepts in other languages: "They have a word for it", by Howard Rheingold. There may be many English words, but there are lots of concepts that we don't have a word for, perhaps because they're not important in this culture. For instance, the Japanese concepts of "wabi" and "sabi", which in popular English usage have somehow become fused into "wabi-sabi", which to the best of my knowledge doesn't exist in Japanese. Wabi refers to the imperfections that give something character, while sabi refers to the uniqueness imparted by aging (or something along those lines). Obviously not traits that we in our consumer society value particularly highly! Anyway, it's a fun book, the sort of thing you can dip into here and there - perfect bathroom reading!

Julie

[Tom M]

Privet! Kak dela? Gooshin doma?

[Gooshin]

нет, не дома... на работе

[falconeye]

нет, не дома... на работе

Was curious what this means ("No, not at home ... at work "). But it also translated

"решение" by "decision" (rather than solution).

This may make it easier to find a proper correspondence in English. Like "artistic decisions".

[Gooshin]

Was curious what this means ("No, not at home ... at work "). But it also translated

"решение" by "decision" (rather than solution).

This may make it easier to find a proper correspondence in English. Like "artistic decisions".

well yeah there are many ways you can throw that word around actually..

"я решил задачю" - i have solved the problem

"я принел решение" - i have made a decision

"я решил не пить" - i chose not to drink



(and yes the other translation was correct)

[falconeye]

don't be surprised if there isn't a word

Ok, I stayed silent because Gooshin wanted to hear proposals from native speakers. Fair enough.

But come on ...

No word for this important concept?

Germans say "Interpretation" when way want to express the way an artist has taken his decisions to render a performance constrained by something (like a subject, a musical composition, a movie based on a novel etc.). I think it does exactly what "решение" does in Russian.

It is a concept so important where must be a word or idiom for it in any language. This is what my favorite language portal says on it: "somebodies take on something", so it proposes an idiom.