Kujutamisest

Kujutamisest is an Estonian linguistic formation that functions as a nominalised gerund derived from the verb *kujutama*, meaning “to imagine,” “to conceive,” or “to illustrate.” The suffix –isest attaches to the noun root *kujutamine* (reflection of the action of imagining or depicting), forming a noun in the genitive case that can be translated into English as “about illustration” or “concerning imagination.” In everyday Estonian, the construct appears mostly in academic and literary contexts where a discussion focuses on the visual or artistic representation of ideas, such as in art theory, education, or media studies. For example, a sentence might read: “Joonistuste läbiväärtut kuulemas käsitletakse kuju ja kujutamisest” – “In evaluating the drawings, the design and illustration aspects are examined.”

The word’s morphological structure reflects typical Estonian generative processes: *kuju* (image) + *tamine* (action) + *‑is* (instrumental/locative marker) + *‑est* (genitive), yielding the full form *kujutamisest*. This formation is analogous to other Estonian nominalised gerunds such as *lugemisest* (from *lugeda* “to read”) and *jagamisest* (from *jaotama* “to divide”).

In academic literature, *kujutamisest* often appears in discussions of visual literacy, cognitive psychology of perception, and the semiotics of iconography. It can denote both the process of creating an image and the conceptual analysis of the image’s role in communication. The term is closely related to other Estonian words in the same semantic field, including *kuju*, *kujutamine*, and *kujundus*. Its usage is widespread in Estonian university curricula for fine arts and communication disciplines, where students learn to critique and analyze visual representations.

Overall, *kujutamisest* encapsulates a nuanced aspect of Estonian linguistic practice, illustrating how the language captures the relationship between imagination, creation, and interpretation of visual content.