Iryna Yakivna Matkovska: Sketches for a portrait in the manner of sfumato

Theoretical and methodological conditions of the possibility of presenting the intellectual biography of the outstanding Ukrainian philosopher, professor of the Faculty of Philosophy of Odessa National University Iryna Yakivna Matkovskaya (1928-2017) in double optics are studied: first, in the official encyclopedic reference, secondly in the sketch of a "portrait in the manner of a sfumato" (a semiotic model of Yu. Lotman). The topic is considered at the background of the development of philosophical biography in modern Ukraine. The problem-thematic regionof axiology of biography is also discussed. Many heuristically fruitful methods, approaches, techniques have been developed in the interdisciplinary field of biographistics. In the framework of this publication, we turn to one of these methods, which was proposed by Yu. M. Lotman. He singles out and theoretically saturates the painting technique "sfumato", whichwas perfectly used by Leonardo da Vinci. Sfumato – an imperceptible air inter-penetration of light and shadow, which creates radiant darkness and dim light - isnot only an artistic technique of the great master, but the emblem of his spiritual quest, the code of his biography. The symbol-image "sfumato" determines theunity and integrity of the biographical story, the isomorphism of its variousparts. At the same time, the "airiness" of the image itself allows us to move away from its dictate and rigid biographical concept. In our opinion, the biographicaltechnique of "sfumato" makes it possible to shed light on the mysterious connection between external and internal biography. The sfumato technique gives achance to illuminate, keeping it a secret: not with a searchlight or even a flashlight, but with a "flicker". Thus, it is possible to outline in the first approximation theresearch "sfumato" in biography. The technique of "sfumato" in our context is situated on the border between scientific discourse and art.