Abstract: The “Hamlet 1990” directed by Lin Zhaohua represents a variant of the Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”. The title of the play hints to the spirit of creative search and novelty, characteristic for the theater era of the 1990s. It was a specific socially transformative period, when “various Soviet-style creative positions were sacrificed” and china moved towards independent thinking and development of social reforms. It is possible that “Hamlet” performed in 1990 reflected these trends in social transformations, which led to the director’s interpretation and restructuring of Shakespeare’s play based on new views and independent aesthetic perception. “Revenge is a scene, a story” and the director acts as the storyteller; it is up to him how this story will be told. In accordance with methodology of the formal school, the author conducts a reconstruction of this play and analyses the scenic texts from the perspective of modern Chinese theater, as well as from the position of director’s style. “Hamlet 1990” directed by Lin Zhaohua became a new word in theatrical arts. In an open scenic space, the connection between the actors and the viewers is not unidirectional, but is two-way; there is an effect of transfer of psychological payload and emotional interaction between them.

Keywords: directorial interpretation restructuring, restructuring, innovation, stage director's view, directed by Lin Zhaohua, Hamlet, Shakespeare, All people are Hamlets, minimalistic style, aesthetic perception

Abstract: This article is dedicated to examination of the art of several famous Russian rock bands, which leaders have repeatedly declared their religiosity and to some extent are engaged in missionary activity of the Russian Orthodox Church. The author covers the questions whether it is appropriate to attribute the art of such rock bands to the genre of “Christian rock”, and do the rock musicians contribute to popularization of Orthodox doctrine and churching of their fans, or rather to desecration of religious values and ideals. For solution of the set tasks, the author analyzed song lyrics of the prominent Russian rock bands, as well as interviews of their leaders and other publications in mass media and scientific periodicals that touch upon a religious aspect in rock music. The art of various Russian rock bands often attracted the attention of researchers, who noticed religious (primarily Christian) symbolism in the song lyrics. However, there has not been previously raised a question of whether it is possible to define the art of such rock bands as “Christian rock” or “Orthodox art” based on existence of references to Christian symbolism. It is demonstrated that leaning on the comprehensive analysis of the art of several Russian rock bands that use religious symbols and allusions in their lyrics, there are no grounds to attribute them to the genre of “Christian rock”. Despite the fact that the majority of leaders of these bands and the authors of texts are Orthodox, the lyrics, visual arrangements and videos often have the elements of Neo-Paganism.

Keywords: Yuri Shevchuk, Dmitry Revyakin, Ilya Kormiltsev, band Nautilus Pompilius, Orthodox missionary work, Orthodox rock, Christian rock, Rock music, Konstantin Kinchev, Boris Grebenshchikov

Abstract: This article poses a question on the semiotic nature of symbols, schemes, icons, artworks. The matter is that on one hand, these are clearly semiotic formations, but on the other – their attribution to the concepts of semiotics faces theoretical difficulties. The article presents the opinions of semioticians who deal with these questions. The author analyzes two cases, which allows advancing a hypothesis that the indicated formations include two different components – reality (of (symbols, schemes, icons, artworks), and two types noting for actualizing these realities. Discussing what represents noting and realities, as well as suggesting a broader understanding of semiotics, the author concludes on the semiotic nature of formations he is concerned with. As a result, the author was able to distinguish two traditions in understanding and analysis of symbols and semiotics; reveal that in these symbols, schemes, icons, artworks, the realities and two types of noting that allows actualizing such realities, should be differentiated; advance a hypothesis on the semiotic nature of symbols, schemes, icons, artworks attributing them to a specific type that is characterized with Interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity; clarify some of the previously expressed opinions of schemology and symbology.

Keywords: reality, semiotics, works of art, icons, symbols, scheme, sign, semiosis, value, discipline

Abstract: This article examines concentration of art around literature that resulted from Soviet cultural policy of 1930’s. The key role in this process was played by literary criticism. Based on the material of literature it attempted to develop universal criteria, which could later serve for assessing any types of art. Some of the authors defended the distinctness of approaches to various arts, but unification in accordance with literary pattern was more seemed more effective. In this context, an illustrative example is cinematography – a young and institutional but yet not well-established art without its own theoretical framework. The main research method is the comparative analysis of rare periodical materials. The scientific novelty of this work consist in circumstantiation of the widespread cultural processes of Stalin’s USSR: focus of all arts on the literature, but at the same time, expansion of the panorama of literary criticism and self-reflection. If in the 1920’s, film directors were actively engages in the theory of cinematography, in the 1930’s it became prerogative of the critics.

Keywords: Ivan Makaryev, criticism of the arts, The USSR's cinema, literary centrism, socialist realism, literary criticism, The USSR’s cultural policy, RAPP, Union of Writers of the USSR, Sergey Eisenstein

Abstract: The subject of this research is such artistic practiced of German Dadaism as photography and photomontage. Relevance of this topic is associated not just with the growing interest of art historians, cultural critics and writers to the culture of Weimar Germany, but also active study by modern scholars of the peculiarities of functioning of the various visual practices, which emergence is substantiated by constant shift and mutual integration of different artistic mediums, among which special place belongs to photography and related photo techniques. Research methodology is of complex nature and suggests the uniformity of cultural-analytical, philosophical-anthropological and historiographical methods through studying primary sources, which include literary texts, essays and manifests of the key representative of German Dadaism. The author concludes on substantial role of the category of “real” in ideological-semantic component of the movement in question, appeal to which justified usage of photomontage technique by the Dadaists. The result of this research lies in determination of the fundamental philosophical-methodological and ideological-semantic aspect of photomontage practices of German Dadaists. The article briefly indicates the vectors of further development of Dada photomontage in Weimar Germany. The acquired results may serve as a pivotal point for future research in the area of Dada art, German art of “new realism” presented in the works of artists of the “new corporeity” and “magic realism”, as well as subsequent art movements of the XX century, characterized by the use of photographic and photomontage techniques.

Keywords: photographic art, avant-garde, new objectivity, new realism, Weimar Germany, photomontage, photograhy, dadaism, magical realism, collage

Abstract: The subject of this research is poetics of the spectacle “Don Juan” created by the stage director Vladimir Magar in Lunacharsky Russian Drama Theatre in Sevastopol in 2006. Analysis is conducted on the main peculiarities of the directing artistic manner: creation of fiction atmosphere and romantic plot, montage and musical means of structuring action, montage of literary-dramaturgical material. The author reviews fiction method and experience as the conditions for formation of an actor ensemble; examines the role of scenography, eurythmics, music and other elements of dramatic action. The article is based on the use of comparative-historical method, personal audience experience of its author and analysis of publications dedicated to the spectacle. The research of Vladimir Magars’ directing manner, which is insufficiently studied and can become illustrative for determination of patterns common to the regional theatrical life. This article is a continuation of a series of publication of the topic. Analysis of poetics of the spectacle “Don Juan” is important for understanding the fundamentals of his directing activity, which contributed to the fact that Sevastopol Theatre became a noticeable phenomenon within the Russian theatrical space.

Keywords: Directing methodology, musical build, the production Don Juan, the Sevastopol theatre named after A. V. Lunacharsky, Boris Blank, Vladimir Magar, Directing plot, multi-piece basis, montage construction, double counterpoint