Mythological Paradigms in Kazakh Painting: The Intersection of Folklore and History

This article explores the manifestations of mythological paradigms in contemporary Kazakh painting by analyzing selected works by Kazakh artists created from the late 20th to the early 21st century. Drawing on the concept of bricolage—a form of pre-logical, early human thinking—the study argues that this approach remains relevant in modern art, where artists consciously adopt it. While historical bricolage emerged organically, many scholars note that its modern artistic application differs significantly: in 20th-century art, bricolage becomes a deliberate creative strategy used to construct or imitate myth and is examined in this study using methods of visual art analysis (formal analysis of composition, color, symbols, and stylistic features), combined with semiotic and chronological approaches. Though traditional mythologies may have faded, the mythic mindset endures. Even as cohesive mythic narratives disintegrate, myth continues to shape human consciousness—acting as a latent, organizing framework embedded within cognitive processes. This unconscious mythological structure, detached from religious roots, influences how individuals perceive and interpret the world. The result is a fragmented, collage-like worldview that mirrors the aesthetic of much contemporary art and reflects features of mythological thinking and cognition as discussed in classical theoretical approaches (Freud, Jung, Lévi-Strauss), which are applied to the interpretation of specific artworks. This theoretical framework is supported by visual and semiotic analyses of specific paintings that illustrate how mythological structures shape the composition, symbolism, and thematic organization in contemporary Kazakh art.