Since the Renaissance, theorists and artists have considered in various treatises what connects and what divides the arts, as well as which of them appeal to reason and which move the emotions; these considerations intensified in the 18th century. In the 19th century, in turn, mainly artists (although theorists, too), continuing the considerations of those theorists of the previous century, wondered about those elements that unite the arts, their expressive possibilities, and their ability to affect the imagination. This reflection appears primarily in artistic works. Moreover, artists looked for common elements between the arts, tried to transfer techniques and structures between them, as well as seeking technical means that would allow for the same expressive effects; they co-operated and took up the same topics. All of this translated into enriching the artistic means of each of the arts and their closer co-operation. In the 20th century, the French philosopher Étienne Souriau proposed the creation of a new research discipline that would allow for the study of what unites the arts in their deepest layers. He called this field of research ‘comparative aesthetics’ (esthétique comparée). His ideas were only fully realised at the beginning of the 21st century when researchers from different areas of the arts and aesthetics began working together on a dictionary of aesthetics (Vocabulaire d’esthétique, 2010), in which individual entries were developed from the perspective of different arts. This work did not produce the expected results – fragments of individual entries remain side by side, separate. There was a lack of a common language and elements that would allow for comparisons and the emergence of an understanding between researchers.

Semiotics could be one such common language for research on the connections between the arts. The assumption that every language – including the artistic, not only the verbal – is a tool of communication (i.e. Jakobson), and, consequently, a medium of expression of artists’ sensitivity and their way of perceiving the world, is fundamental for that research. The main semiotic categories – signs and codes – can be indicated in every art, which enables mutual understanding between researchers and indicates the laws governing art, regardless of the medium of communication used by the artists themselves (i.e. Lotman, Tarasti, Mieke Bal, Sebeok, Gorlée, Marais, Petrilli, Torop, Thibault). The validity of this approach has been confirmed by recent semiotic congresses (the World Congress of Semiotics), during which panels devoted to selected issues functioning in various arts enjoyed great interest, and interdisciplinary discussions led by the participants of these panels indicated the great need for such co-operation and the potential of multidisciplinary projects brought together by semiotics.