Articles

The article is devoted to the Museum of Decorative, Applied and Industrial Art of Stroganov Russian State Art University; founded in 1864 in Moscow, it became one of the oldest museums in Russia. Since 1899 till the revolution it used to be called the Museum of Emperor Alexander II. The main purpose of the museum was to collect and study works of Russian art, which was in line with the Stroganov School, whose original intention was to preserve and develop national artistic traditions. Many outstanding representatives of Russian culture, art and science, including graduates from Moscow University, contributed to the history of the Stroganov School Museum. Since its foundation the Museum has been closely connected to art education and industrial education in this country.

The article is first to consider the influence that G. De Chirico's works of the early period (1910s-1920s) and his 'metaphysical painting' produced on Italian artist Antonio Bueno. The author highlights that the impact produced on young Bueno, searching for his own artistic manner, by the stylistics of this well-recognized leader of the avant-garde 'metaphysical painting' trend was ambiguous. The author exploits a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach to evaluate the way De Chirico's works contributed to Bueno's search for a 'modern style' of painting. The materials of the research are Bueno's diary-memoirs and the studies devoted to his works. It is concluded that only some features typical of early works by De Chirico and his 'metaphysical painting' manner were acquired by Bueno. However, they are concluded to contribute significantly to the development of Bueno's individual stylistic manner. Moreover, these 'borrowed' features are considered most distinguished and stably occurring. In fact, these are the features that shaped his works, in particular those having earned him national and international recognition.

This article outlines the way such a genre of Russian photography as photo series was formed and developed. It also the role it played in the system of mass communications and journalism in the 1920s and 1930s, as well as considers modern interpretations of this phenomenon in the history of Russian and world photography. The characteristics of certain types of photo series (photo essay, reportage photo, photo series) are featured depending on their visual content and fiction material they relied upon. The authors analyse several professional photographic, cinematographic and literary-artistic journals and magazines such as "Kino-fot", "LEF", "Noviy LEF", "Sovetskoie kino" ('Soviet cinema'), "Proletarskoie foto" ('proletarian photo') and "Sovetskoie foto" ('Soviet photo') to evaluate creative tasks of the photographers, theoretical issues critical reviews. The authors consider several strategies of visual storytelling, on which both the photography program and the materials arrangement on the page are based: production sketch or reportage, the principle of photo observation in space, monitoring and the biographical principle. It is emphasized that the genre of photo series in mass communication is close to design, where issues of visual scenario and publication timing come to the fore and enter the realm of graphic design and photo design. It is a well-known fact that photographers A.M. Rodchenko and B.V. Ignatovich mastered these fields themselves in order to maximize the subject by selecting, arranging and accenting the details.

The article is devoted to the study of the activities of the State Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAKHN) in 1921‒1931. The analysis proceeds from the assumption that the structure of the Academy, which is based on three large departments (Physico-psychological, Social, Philosophical), was designed to promote the implementation of a generalizing synthesis in the understanding of art, in fact, implementing the principle of interdisciplinary research. The analysis of the dynamics of scientific life indicates that the structural units designed to implement a synthetic strategy for creating a new science competed with each other, which was minimizing methodological convergence. The example of work on the “Dictionary of Artistic Terms” clearly illustrates this fact.

The study was carried out on the basis of archival documents from the funds of Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, on the basis of Reports from three Departments of the GAKHN for 1921‒1927, as well as with the involvement of research literature on the history of the GAKHN.

The author concludes that the studies performed by the Academy, laid the foundations of a new science: methodological approaches to the study of art were developed. However, the lack of fundamental unity led to the incompleteness of the formation of a system of aesthetic concepts.

The article is devoted to the formation of artistic and figurative perspectives in early Christian art. To accomplish this task, the authors of the article analyze the very concept of «early Christian art», clarify its boundaries and formulate a working classification of the periods of early Christian art. Based on the leading Russian-language and foreign literature, a detailed analysis of the factors of the genesis of the main artistic images is carried out, among which are: the formation of the canon of the Old and New Testaments, secular (pagan) artistic symbolism, ancient philosophy, dogmatic-theological polemics and a number of other, less significant reasons. In conclusion, the hypothesis is expressed about the possibility of constructing a classification of the early Christian symbolic system based on the factors of origin of a particular symbol in the canon, and also outlines the field for further research of the field.

As an important intangible cultural heritage of China, Mongolian dance showcases the unique cultural identity and humanistic artistic connotations of the Mongolian people. This article explores how to achieve the clever integration of traditional and modern elements in Mongolian dance creation, as well as the impact of this integration on cultural identity and artistic innovation. The cultural identity and artistic innovation in Mongolian dance creation are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. Under the clever fusion of traditional and modern elements, Mongolian dance not only maintains its uniqueness, but also showcases the charm and charm of the times.

This creative approach provides a feasible path for the inheritance and development of Mongolian culture, and also serves as a reference for other ethnic dance creations in cross-cultural exchanges. As an indispensable part of China's cultural development, Mongolian dance art should be closely integrated with the expectations of the Party and the state for the literary and artistic cause. In the process of creating Mongolian dance, cultural identity should be fully reflected in form, content, theme, and spirit.

At the same time, by combining modern social development concepts and utilizing advanced artificial intelligence technology for comprehensive innovation, we can effectively promote the prosperity and development of Mongolian dance, and effectively inherit and protect the traditional culture of dance art.

This article outlines the development of metaphorical theater, where new artistic thinking, language, dramaturgy and fundamentally new models of stage art are being created. In literature, metaphor is understood as a word or expression used in a figurative meaning, which is based on the comparison of an object or phenomenon with some other on the basis of their common characteristic. Theatrical metaphor is a multimodal image that arises at the intersection of languages of different types of art to express the essence of meaning or create the generalization behind a specific story. At the same time, metaphor needs no explanation. Independent comparison (interaction) of the incomparable provokes the viewer to complete connections. Famous finales from "The Government Inspector" staged by Vsevolod Meyerhold, "A Month in the Village" by Anatoly Efros, and "Macbeth" by Eimuntas Nekrošius are one of the most remarkable works in in history of theatre and are commonly referred to as stage meta-backgrounds.

The director's theater, which appeared at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and developed as an art of interpretation, sought to turn the theater into a temple of Art, drawing set designers, costume designers, composers, lighting designers, and choreographers into the orbit of co-creation. By the end of the 20th century, the most famous literary works began to be interpreted as a myth that could be retold in one's own words or even acted out on stage without words.

The author reveals the something particular and individual from the general and brings it out. The myth "sees" the universal behind the individual. Author's art belongs to a specific time, "speaks" about a specific person. Myth is about the eternal and universally significant. Performances of this direction are most often hybrid, cross-genre forms based on the interaction of different means of theatrical expression — drama, music, spectacle, circus, pantomime, ritual. Among them there are "The Street of Crocodiles" by Gerard McBurney, "Black on White", "Hashirigaki" by Heiner Goebbels, "Genesis" by Romeo Castellucci. In this country, the first examples of this kind of metaphorical theater are "Siddur-Mystery" and "Polyphony of the World" by composer Alexander Bakshi in collaboration with directors Valery Fokin and Kama Ginkas. In these performances, the initiatory role of the word is missing and the principles of drama are changing.

In contrast to the interpretative theater, the theater of the word appears, where literary storytelling dominates, and all other components are of little significance or are completely absent.

The article studies the AR-opera "Love for the Three Zuckerbrins" by Konstantin Komoltsev based on the novel by Victor Pelevin. The opera with an ironic title, which combines the names of the creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, and the one of Google, Sergey Brin, is an example of a renewal of the genre. Traditional means of live theater are combined here with new computer and visual systems, namely, augmented (AR) and virtual (VR) reality technologies, dynamic holograms, and computer-synthesized sound.

Born from the idea of creating a futuristic stage trilogy "Me, the robot" about the prohibitions of man and artificial intelligence, the opera became the first part of this trilogy; the second and third included the ballet "Bicentennial Man" based on the novel by Isaac Asimov and the computer drama "O-N-A" ('her') based on the film by Spike Jonze.

The method of musical theoretical analysis of the work showed that the language of the opera, dictated by its ideas, is eclectic and intertextual: the musical-stylistic mix is dominated by meditative, sonorous and concrete music, into which chorale and rap, spectralism and radio jingles penetrate.

The plot, unfolding in 11 films, consists of "pixels" of the familiar and computer worlds, between which it is almost impossible to draw a boundary. The stage language that became the console part of this work is extraordinary and technological. The version of transformed multidimensional reality, created by Georgy Isaakyan, connects single fragments of the linear history of individual people and fragments of the virtual world that has captured their consciousness, which can only be configured using special tablets. Episodes of this multiple reality are switched in clip mode, in which priests and mythological creatures, heroes of famous computer games and real people are created.

It is concluded that "Love for the Three Zuckerbrins" is the first experience in the AR-opera genre, in which real characters interact with virtual ones, and computer technology not only creates a stage image, but also penetrates into the essence of operatic dramaturgy.

The article analyzes the image of the newspaper in works of fine art as a socio-cultural and communication phenomenon. The paper provides an overview of the newspaper's representation in the foreign visual tradition, where it occupied an important place as a socio-cultural and art-critical phenomenon. The periodization of the stages of the newspaper's development is summarized and the connection of historical realities with its representation in Western painting of the XVII‒XXI centuries is revealed.

The analysis showed that it was newspapers that created the foundations for the formation of unifying social meanings and in the work of fine art they appear as a cultural and mental form reflecting and forming the national unconscious. The image of a newspaper in Western visual art reflects its dual character — it is presented both as a source of information involved in the process of communication with the viewer, and as a visual symbol understandable to a wide audience. However, in both cases, the use of a newspaper as an object always appeals to socio-political processes, as well as reflects key cultural codes. In portrait and genre painting, the newspaper becomes not only an indicator of belonging to a certain social class and evidence of the hero's political preferences, but also reflects the social processes that took place during the period under study. In the subject compositions, the newspaper becomes a visual symbol, used as a metaphor, into which the artist puts additional connotative meanings, within the framework of his characteristic way of reflecting reality.

The article examines the work of Lucy Voronova, focusing on her graphic art, paintings, and autobiographical prose drawn from her diary entries. Based on an analysis of her works and insights from leading Russian art historians, the article concludes that from the early 1980s to the mid-2010s, Lucy Voronova was associated with naïve art, later transitioning to decorative and applied art. The article suggests that the artist's "joyful phase", which followed a "depressive artistic phase", began in 2006 and coincided with her shift from paper/ground/oil or paper/acrylic graphic techniques to painting.

The author recounts the creation of the Lucy Voronova brand and the wide-ranging efforts to promote the naïve artist's name both in Russia and internationally. These efforts included collaborations with art historians and collectors, the publication of art albums, the organization of museum exhibitions, and auction sales in Moscow, London, and Zurich.

A separate section of the article is devoted to the artist's current creative phase — the "mosaic" period, which began in 2018, as well as an analysis of the activities of the Lucy Voronova Art Support Fund.

"The Pharaohs' Golden Parade" is a colorful large-scale performance organized in Cairo in 2021; its "plot" was the movement of the mummies of Egyptian rulers from the old Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square to the new building of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat district. This event is rightly regarded as a spectacular tourist attraction and another exploitation of the "image of Ancient Egypt" as a replicated cultural brand; but at the same time, the organizers made perhaps the most serious attempt to date to reconstruct an ancient funeral ritual, demonstrating respect for the memory of their ancestors. Despite all the "glossyness" of the festival, a number of elements of the performance turn out to be well thought out and originally designed in accordance with scientific knowledge about the fundamental foundations of Ancient Egyptian civilization.

Such a change in the axiological status of objects from "museum artifacts" to "an object of national pride", necessarily framed as a kind of initiation, is accompanied by a demonstration to the outside world of respect for one's cultural heritage, which is recognized and presented as part of contemporary cultural strategy and state ideology.

This same demonstration is perceived as an act of political rhetoric, proclaiming the continuity of modern Egypt in the chain of civilizations of the Nile Valley and the state's concern for the formation of cultural memory.

This article proposes an arc of development in the use of wood — a traditional, ubiquitous building material in Russia — within prevailing high cultural norms of architectural design. Adapted to neoclassical norms in the eighteenth century, the log structure was masked at estate mansions such as Kuskovo and Ostankino by plank siding or lathing with stucco to resemble a masonry structure. With changing cultural values toward historicism in architecture during the nineteenth century, the log structure was re-exposed as an expression of national authenticity. From the miniature architectural forms at Abramtsevo to the massive log structure at Pogorelovo, exposed wooden structures were seen by the cultural intelligentsia (another social elite) as an essential part of Russia's identity.

In the development of Russian art, the period of classicism (mid 18th — mid 19th century) preceded the era of Historicism of the 19th – early 20th century, and the period of neoclassicism (the first half of the 20th century) completed its history. The main source of the development of the historicism style was Russian history, and during the periods of its origin and completion, the images of M.V. Lomonosov were captured in bronze by outstanding sculptors I.P. Martos in 1826–1829. (in Arkhangelsk) and N.V. Tomsky in 1953 (in front of the Moscow University building on Vorobyovy Gory).

In the period of Neoclassicism or the «new Russian classicism» of the 1930s and 1950s, Moscow University became one of the main centers for the study of the art of the first Russian classicism. Professor N.N. Kovalenskaya (1892‒1969), the best expert on the history of this style, creates the most complete monograph to date on the life of I.P. Martos, the author of the first sculptural monument to M.V. Lomonosov in Russia. She considered the work of this sculptor to be the pinnacle of the development of Russian monumental sculpture. Moscow State University archive introduces Professor N.N. Kovalenskaya's personal materials into scientific use for the first time.

The development of the art of classicism and neoclassicism, the study of the history of both these periods was closely connected with the history of Lomonosov Moscow State University, as well as with the study of the work of sculptor I.P. Martos, the author of the first sculptural monument to the founder of the university.

This article provides a comparative review of “Russian Orientalism” in the visual arts, associated with the names of artists such as V.V. Vereshchagin and A. V. Nikolaev (Usto Mumin), who differently approached this movement. The article raises the question of the characteristics of “Russian Orientalism” and examines the historical context that shaped this phenomenon, which also manifested itself in the visual arts.

This work takes E. Said’s concept of “Orientalism” as its methodological basis, serving as the starting point for the scholarly analysis. In the case of V.V. Vereshchagin and his “Turkestan Series”, the perception of the East corresponds to E. Said’s well-known “Orientalist” theory. When it comes to Usto Mumin’s works, methodological situation appears more complex and contradictory. Life and work of A. V. Nikolaev do not fit into E. Said’s concept. The analysis draws on the works of several authors to explore “Russian Orientalism” within the context of cultural studies, including art history.

The author concludes that although both authors under consideration do formally comply with the “Orientalists” movement, they belong to different cultural and historical contexts. Their careers and personal life embody the contrasts in their understanding of their art – so as academic classics might be opposed to the “modern” avant-garde.

The article discusses the basic concepts associated with folk art and folk arts and crafts as an object of mass media. The dynamics (2001–2025) of representation of the concepts “folk art”, “folk crafts” and their types in various types of Russian-language media are analysed basing on the “Integrum” program. A significant increase in attention to folk crafts in recent years has been recorded in connection with the return of society to traditional values associated with the socio-cultural processes of identification among the Russian people. A direct dependence of the activity of the media in the coverage of folk art on the degree of attention to this area of official institutions, as well as on the degree of prevalence and popularity of certain types of folk crafts has been established. An increase in the share of attention to this area of regional publications in comparison with federal ones, a rapid increase in the activity of online publications, especially news aggregators and thematic Internet media, which leads to the priority of news content and poses the problem of strengthening the essay, analytical, problematic potential of journalism, which is able to analyze the difficulties and problems that folk crafts are experiencing today and help in solving them, is clearly visible. In general, the trend of expanding the range of objects of media attention to folk art is positive, but so far it is more quantitative than qualitative, and additional efforts and in-depth research are required in this direction.