Methods of «visual studies» and the problem of physicality in the research of decorative and applied art

«Visual studies» as an integrated approach to the problems of reception and creativity forms a system of stable principles of the analysis of the monument, focused on the study of the vision and the complex of extraverbal aspects of the existence of the object in the historical and cultural space. The analysis of works of decorative and applied art involves a comprehensive approach based on the study of technique and material, features of shaping and means of artistic expression, iconography and semantics, the creative method of the master and the consumer’s reaction, the role in the context of everyday culture and the principles of reception in a synchronous and diachronic section. When studying objects of decorative and applied art, it is necessary to expand the concept of visual perception, since not only the visual impression becomes important, but also the tactile sensation of contact. The basic element is the material and technique of execution. Interpretation of the texture, imitation ofnatural forms in ornaments and decor, work with the language of composition through plastic characteristics  and decor, contribute to the identification of unified systematic approaches to understanding the methods of the artist’s work.