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Philosophy and Culture
Reference:

Mixed media in neo-academic art objects

Chzhou Yui

Lecturer, School of Arts, Chongqing Normal University

191186, Russia, Saint Petersburg, nab. Sinks, 48, room 6, office 51

zhouyu1@rambler.ru

DOI:

10.7256/2454-0757.2023.8.43497

EDN:

WPTMGC

Received:

03-07-2023


Published:

01-09-2023


Abstract: The study of the artistic heritage of neo-academicians in the context of the study of mixed techniques is quite relevant. To date, the analysis of the creativity of artists, representatives of non-academism as an artistic trend of the late twentieth century in Russia, is based on the artistic criticism of art critics, art critics who were part of this trend and considered the work of non-academicians from the perspective of the artistic life of this period in the context of the socio-cultural processes of Russia during the Perestroika era. Also, the works of neo-academist artists are studied from the position of "creative rebellion" and the search for new forms in art. In this article, the works of T. Novikov, G. Guryanov, K. Goncharov, V. Mamyshev-Monroe and other representatives of NAII are studied from the position of "mixed techniques" in art objects. The main emphasis is placed on the analysis of art objects in mixed techniques in the context of overcoming formalism, embodying stylistic diversity, metamorphosis of forms and states, pictorial symbols and universal meanings. The realization of the principle of the infinity of choice and the infinity of meaning and diversity is associated with postmodernism in art, the introduction to which became decisive in Russian art of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The appeal to the study of art objects of neo-academicians made in mixed technique allows us to enrich and supplement the understanding of the term "mixed techniques" in modern art practices related to the search for new forms, compositional solutions, the formation of a unique author's language, the originality of the work.


Keywords:

mixed media, contemporary art, Russia, creative method, art object, neo-academism, creative heritage, sociocultural processes, creative revolt, modern art practices

This article is automatically translated.

Mixed media in the development of the Postmodern paradigm of art criticism analysis

At the end of the twentieth century, a trend of neo-academism developed in the art world of Russia, including in the form of the "New Academy of Fine Arts" founded by T. V. Novikov. In the activities of artists close to him, postmodern practices in terms of creative method and neoclassical conservatism simultaneously manifested themselves. It originated and evolved in the context of the complex dynamics of socio-political processes, the change of ideology, familiarization with the values of the Western world in the era of Perestroika. In the research of the creative heritage of neo-academicians, the idea of an axiological context prevails in the understanding and interpretation of this artistic trend; art critics and art historians focus on the analysis of this trend as a phenomenon of artistic life. Art historians A. L. Khlobystin, E. Y. Andreeva, critic D. Y. Golynko-Wolfson focused on the philosophical, semantic role of artists, their contribution to contemporary Russian art. So, A. L. Khlobystin noted that "after the cynicism of the 1980s, in the 1990s, "art" became interesting not as a comfort zone, but as a sphere of individual adventure, responsibility, mental and bodily risk. It became interesting not to slip away, hide and disguise (as if avoiding the totalitarianism of the act of "naming"), but, on the contrary, to "get into trouble" and "answer the call"" [1]. At the same time, one can note the lack of an art criticism analysis of the works and art objects themselves from the position of the postmodern paradigm, which has become a determining factor in the development of the artist's creative method and the artistic and stylistic features of art objects.

The history of the issue of studying the creativity of neo-academicians is traditionally associated with art criticism of the late twentieth century. The main empirical basis of this research should be considered the works of artists themselves, their exhibitions and promotions, and the theoretical foundation should include, for example, the theoretical developments of such outstanding theorists as Yu. Kristeva, J. Lacan, J. Lyotard, J. Derrida, M. Foucault, J. Baudrillard, B. V. Whipper, Y. M. Lotman, etc. The evolution of the aesthetic views of the co-founder of the "New Artists" (1982) and the "New Academy of Fine Arts" T. P. Novikov (NAII, 1991) is also important. The theorist and practitioner went from postmodern outrage and "artistic extremism" to the "new classics", conservatism and orthodox traditionalism, which reflects one of the most important trends in post-Soviet art in Russia, namely the search for one's own place in the wide field of Western and world art.

At the same time, in modern exhibition projects dedicated to the artistic heritage of neo-academicians, and in curatorial texts, the emphasis is on their unique creative method. The focus of attention includes the plastic features of art objects, often made in a mixed technique. The researchers also mention the meaning of the "included object", the meaning of the "thing" in the works of neo-academicians [2] and consider their works in the context of the paradigm of metamodernism, where the principle of reconstruction, representation of archiving, new sensitivity becomes an important component of the creative method [3]. It is necessary to note the peculiarities of the cultural and economic situation in Russia at the end of the twentieth century, namely the total deficit, the economic crisis, which to a certain extent became one of the factors of fascination with mixed techniques and the inclusion of various objects, the use of materials as means of expression of the work, semantic content.

B. R. Whipper investigated such techniques in relation to classical, established types of art, explaining their essence by an original combination of the principles of performing works of different types. However, it has not been supplemented taking into account certain characteristics of the practices of postmodernism and metamodernism, first of all, including through the prism of plastic art objects of neo-academicians. Mixed techniques as a creative method will determine the development of modern plastics, to which the term "art object" is often applied. There is no well-established definition of this term, since this phenomenon in the world of modern art is under development. It is the addition of existing scientific knowledge that is the value of the presented publication. Its purpose is to supplement the definition proposed by B. R. Whipper with the approaches that were proposed by neo-academic artists when creating art objects.

The term "mixed media" in the categories of contemporary art

The appearance of the term "mixed techniques", as a rule, is associated with the "Still Life with a wicker chair" of 1912 by P. Picasso — a collage including fabric, paper, ropes, which is also considered as the first work in mixed technique. However, it should be noted that the method of mixed techniques is not new for the development of art. Thus, B. V. Whipper, in his research points to the use of various techniques and materials in traditional forms of art, such as painting, sculpture and plastic. "A peculiar combination of the principles of sculpture and plastics is the Chinese technique of "kangshitsu": an empty wooden skeleton inside is lined with paper or a coarse cloth, on top of which a number of layers of varnish are placed, in which the surface of the statue is modeled — thus, both in the material and in the technique of its processing we see a combination of the principles of sculpture and plastics <...> The terms "sculpture" and "plastic" are often used in the same meaning as the name of a special kind of art, it should still emphasize the fundamental difference between the content of these two concepts (in their narrower sense). The sculptor processes solid materials (stone, wood); in front of him at the beginning of the work is a solid compact block, in which he seems to guess the outlines of the future statue. In his work, he goes from outside to inside, taking away (cutting off or cutting off) large or smaller excess parts. On the contrary, plastic works in soft materials, it sculpts, adds material, in a word, the process of its work goes from the inside out.... So, plastic is the art of adding material, sculpture is taking away" [6]. Thus, for a scientist, mixing techniques is a combination of performance principles taken from different types of art.

The use of mixed media as a creative method of both neo-academicians and contemporary artists has not been sufficiently investigated in the theory of art criticism. There is no unambiguous interpretation of this term today. Mixed media as an experimental field of artistic practices is under development, so universal criteria and classifications have not been developed. One can often find an interpretation of this concept as "mixed art" or "visual art" as "an extensive and inaccurate term for a wide category of arts, which includes collage, assemblage, an included object (assembly), including books, as well as a combination of graphics and painting, painting using different materials" [4]. Also, mixed media is understood as a characteristic of a work, in the creation of which various materials, foundations and, accordingly, artistic techniques themselves were used. A. D. Borovsky notes that "in a word, mixed media is a technique in art when it is not possible to achieve the desired effect by conventional means" [5, p. 46].

It is possible to note different interpretations in relation to works in mixed media: from "unusual object" or "created object". Often an art object is attributed to descriptions of "manifestations in art", which, unlike other art forms, do not obey any exact rules. Spontaneity, impulsivity, freedom are their basis. N.A. Ses and A.N. Shchirova point out that "art objects are designed to evoke various emotional reactions of the viewer, make him think, look at something ordinary from a new angle, otherwise they are usually non-functional. An art object can be conditionally meaningless, unaesthetic, strange, but at the same time, creative and unusual. The imagination and skill of the artist allow you to create art objects using any objects and materials: glass, clay, paper, wood, metal, etc." [7]. In this case, the use of mixed techniques becomes one of the key expressive means in art practices related to the emotional sphere of the authors.

Today, the study of mixed techniques is attributed to the practices of postmodernism and metamodernism in art, for which it is characteristic, as Yu believes. Habbermas, "an appeal to camp and neoclassicism as the language of Western conservatism and postmodern figurative art" [8]. The postmodern paradigm of art is relevant not only in the comprehension of the work, but also in the search for a new creative language. Thus, the defining characteristics of creativity were the search for new meanings through the prism of the infinity of language games and intertextuality (Yu. Kristeva) or the "infinity of desire" (J. Lacan), as well as the infinity of the path of self-expression (J. Lyotard), the principle of deconstructivism or "gap" (J. Derrida). The gap is understood as the creation of a space for understanding, the expansion of interpretation, co-authorship, where a new one is formed at the junction of contrasts. The development of the author's language, the search for uniqueness, experiments take place in the field of dialogue and polylogue, synthesis and interaction, without forced imposition or blind dissolution (Yu. M. Lotman). Such approaches actualized and popularized the use of mixed techniques in the formation of a unique author's artistic language and the physiology of art. The generation of emotions for modern art has become an important factor in its existence, physiology determines the strength of emotion that the viewer receives from the dialogue with the work.

Thus, the technique of the included object, which often has a universal emotional marker and cultural code, provokes unconscious and violent generation of emotions. This process is connected with the understanding of the "thing" as a carrier of desire, which cannot be neglected (M. Foucault). At the same time , Zh . Baudrillard noted that the modern world loses its physical reality and is replaced by simulacra-ghosts, and it is things that allow us to preserve physical reality by "objectifying" the world, as if besieging it. The material, object principle of mixed techniques can be considered the basis of the physiology of modern art, which generates a stable physical and existential connection with the viewer.

T. P. Novikov's innovation in search of an artistic method relevant to the developing political and cultural situation

The founder of the "New Academy of Fine Arts" T. P. Novikov proposed "an incessant and unfixed performance of life, the "living" of art" [9, p. 77]. The works of artists of the neo-academic period, often created under his influence, "it is difficult to characterize as examples of "fine art". Rather, here we are signs, "icons" marking belonging to the tradition: rich fabrics, beads, retrophotographs of Apollo, Oscar Wilde, Orthodox saints, pioneers or architectural monuments sewn on the fabric. These signs acquire an additional aura from T. P. Novikov and turn into "sacred objects of religious worship" [2]. For example, the project "Neo-Academism is Sadomasochism" by Dmitry Mishenin (Doping Pong) and Andrey Chezhin (2000) is embodied by bodily practices, where architectural elements of the St. Petersburg Empire are interpreted.

Free handling of world and Russian templates, markers of culture and art, "sacrificing the artistic value of a work" to the symbolism of status power. The art objects of such authors as A. A. Vinogradov, T. P. Novikov, V. Y. Mamyshev-Monroe, A. N. Petrov present the means of kitsch irony, for example, such as the use of artifacts of mass culture, abundant gilding, photo collage. This helps to provoke the effect of lightness in the falsification of emotions. Interestingly, the most unusual "found objects" were interpreted by artists as "primary elements of form" and "as pictorial signs endowed with spiritual content, paintings as plastic formulas organized from such signs and embodying the relationship between the elements of the universe" [10].

T. P. Novikov in an interview described his creative method as an attempt to recreate images, which is closer to taxidermy than to conservation. This is not a museum storage of objects that were once created, but rather the preservation of the external image of art. In this light, the most important tasks of neo-academic "taxidermy" is the preservation of representations and visual presence of images of classical art at the expense of modernity. This approach is close to the essence of metamodernism, in which the dominant sensitivity of modernity as an era of identity politics crisis and a new demand for universalism returns interest to realism [2]. Undoubtedly, it is necessary to note here the understanding of the role of the artist in the era of postmodernism. Thus, R. Barth proclaimed the "death of the author", who from now on creates, not based on personal experience and knowledge, but only "fixes quotes and codes" accumulated by civilization. A.D. Borovsky writes the following: "The postmodern artist exists in a system of signs and, juggling them, does not try to establish a connection with reality in in principle" [5]. Such a popular principle of cultural appropriation as the use of real objects or their fragments in works, material symbols of epochs and cultures, as well as already existing works, became one of the main directions in the work of neo-academicians of the 1980s. So in the works of T. P. Novikov, the principle of "recomposition" similar to the principle of deconstructivism is solved by minimalist stencils and collages on textiles, for example "Narcissus" (1991), "Penguins" (1989), "Skier" (1991), etc. Collage technique, consisting of the interaction of photography and textiles, as the basis of the composition, forms the depth, physiology and emotionality of the work.

Another direction in the work of neo-academicians is the art of performance, also associated with the phenomenon of an art object in postmodernism. The artist himself considered this direction as a variant of the work and representation of art, when "my work of art is myself" [11]. Representatives of neo-academism created their own world of art, primarily by positioning and broadcasting a new aesthetic and artistic order. So T. P. Novikov, G. K. Guryanov, A. L. Khlobystin exaggerated the philosophy of dandyism as a revolt against everyday life, global unification, as a new romanticism and provocation. For example, a member of the "New Academy of Fine Arts" became a fashion designer K. Goncharov, who collaborated with Zh. Aguzarova, the Kino group and other representatives of the underground culture of those years. In the press, K. Goncharov received the title of "radical aesthete", and his ironic tension in performances to a certain extent transformed "classical culture, which was "boring", according to the predecessors of neo-academists, into a cheerful masquerade, continuing the tradition of the existence of urban eccentrics and originals" [12]. It is necessary to mention the work of V. Y. Mamyshev-Monroe, which is "photographic series, collages, scratching (a special technique for scratching photos), created to enhance expressiveness, painting, video — this is, in fact, fixing the incredible stay of himself — the "person playing" — in real time, and his images, this transforming reality into a life-long post-performance" [13].

Conclusions and generalizations

Thus, it can be concluded that the mixed techniques used to create art objects by neo-academicians are not only a combination of the principles of creating works of different types of fine art, but also the search for new forms, compositional solutions, a unique author's language and originality. First of all, the birth of such an approach influenced the formation of their propensity to appeal to the world of everyday life, sensuality and emotionality. In their work, they also embodied new meanings in art and were regarded as part of the artistic method. The peculiarity of this method was that the material was understood as a sign linking artists with tradition, including artistic; as an artifact of mass culture; as a means to recreate images of classical art. Moreover, the combination of different materials was used not only in the creation of art objects, but also in performances. In the latter, they played the same role and contributed to enhancing the expressiveness of the action taking place. It is worth noting that such approaches in the application of mixed techniques are relevant and in demand in the work of contemporary Russian artists, including those working in the context of metamodern ideas, such as the infinity of meanings, physiology and the new emotionality of art.

References
1. Hlobystin, A. Art is not (for) art. Secret art of St. Petersburg. [Iskusstvo ne (dlya) iskusstva. Sokrovennoe iskusstvo Peterburga]. Retrieved from http://kassandrion.narod.ru/commentary/09/7hlob.htm
2. Engstrem, M. (2018). Metamodernism and the post-Soviet conservative avant-garde: Timur Novikov's New Academy [Metamodernizm i postsovetskij konservativnyj avangard: Novaya akademiya Timura Novikova]. Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie, 151. Retrieved from https://www.nlobooks.ru/magazines/novoe_literaturnoe_obozrenie/151/article/19762/
3. Vermyulen, T. Van den Akker R. Notes on Metamodernism. [Van den Akker R. Zametki o metamodernizme]. METAMODERN – Zhurnal o metamodernizme. Retrieved from https://metamodernizm.ru/notes-on-metamodernism/
4. Visual art. [Vizual'noe iskusstvo]. Enciklopediya iskusstv. Retrieved from https://gallerix.ru/pedia/definitions--visual-art/
5. Borovskij, A. (2020) Mixed technique. [Smeshannaya tekhnika]. Sankt-Peterburg: Pal'mira-Proza.
6. Vipper, B. R. Introduction to the historical study of art. [Vvedenie v istoricheskoe izuchenie iskusstva]. Moskva, Izobrazitel'noe iskusstvo. Retrieved from https://royallib.com/read/vipper_boris/vvedenie_v_istoricheskoe_izuchenie_iskusstva.html#0
7. Ses, N.A., & Shchirova, A.N. (2012). Art object as a specific art form. [Art-ob"ekt kak specifichnaya hudozhestvennaya forma]. Uspekhi sovremennogo estestvoznaniya, 5, 23-24.
8. Giddens, E., Habbermas, Y. Modernism and postmodernism. [Modernizm i postmodernism]. Retrieved from https://studfile.net/preview/5996512/page:21/
9. Borovskij, A. (2011). Non-academic notes about the New Academy. [Neakademicheskie zametki o Novoj akademii]. Novaya akademiya. Sankt-Peterburg: Katalog vystavki. Pod red. A. Ippolitova i A. Haritonovoj. Moscow: Fond kul'tury «EKATERINA», pp. 75-87.
10. Unksova, M. Nonconformism in Russian art. [Nonkonformizm v russkom iskusstve]. Ekzistencional'noe aspekty nonkonformizma i osnovnye techeniya. Apraksin Blyuz. Retrieved from http://apraksinblues.narod.ru/AB12/Nonconformism.htm
11. Gur'yanov, G. My work of art – I myself. [Moe proizvedenie iskusstva – Ya sam]. SOBAKA.RU, 2010. Retrieved from https://www.sobaka.ru/oldmagazine/glavnoe/17562.
12. Udovichenko, M. Aesthetic extremism. Art in the City: Petersburg Performative Practices in the 1990s. [Esteticheskij ekstremizm. Iskusstvo v gorode: peterburgskie performativnye praktiki 1990-h godov]. Retrieved from https://russianartarchive.net/ru/research/aesthetic-extremism
13. Selina, E. & Dzheuza, A. Vladislav Mamyshev-Monroe. Curated text. [Vladislav Mamyshev-Monro. Kuratorskitj tekst]. Galereya MMOMA. Retrieved from https://mmoma.ru/exhibitions/gogolevsky10/vladislav_mamyshevmonro_arhiv_m

First Peer Review

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The subject of the study, as reflected by the author in the title of the article ("Mixed media in neo-academic art objects"), is to some extent indicated and "revealed" to the reader. Rather, the author identified a problem that requires further study and proposed one of the possible approaches — to consider mixed media as an artistic method inherent in "neo-academicians". However, the article does not explain whether the proposed approach is solely an author's find or whether it was suggested by colleagues. Of course, the author refers to the complex and ambiguous phenomenon of the artistic life of Leningrad–St. Petersburg, imprinted not only in the creative heritage of the "neo-academic" artists, but also in the texts of eyewitnesses of their exhibitions and "art actions", in which it is not the art object created by the artist itself that is more important, but the provocation of a certain attitude of the viewer to art. Therefore, in addition to analyzing the creative heritage of the "neo-academic" artists, the author quite reasonably refers to the essays of journalists, the publications of the "neo-academic" themselves and their critics as empirical material. However, the author's statement that "the works of journalists and art historians of that period" are "the basis of fundamental research of this artistic trend", given the presence of a large number of exhibition collections and theoretical works by the "neo-academicians" themselves, looks like a theoretical oxymoron. The main empirical basis should be considered the works of artists themselves, their exhibitions and promotions, and the theoretical foundation should include theories: for example, the theoretical developments of the outstanding theorists mentioned by the author (Yu. Kristeva, J. Lacan, J. Lyotard, J. Derrida, M. Foucault, J. Baudrillard, B. Whipper, Y. Lotman), to which T. P. Novikov can be attributed as an art theorist. The evolution of the aesthetic views of T. P. Novikov (co-founder of the "New Artists" in 1982 and the "New Academy of Fine Arts" in 1991) from postmodern outrage and "artistic extremism" ("Club 81 Theater" in 1985, ASSA Gallery in 1986) to "new classics", conservatism and orthodox traditionalism ("Neo-Kademism" in 1991, "The Decline of German Romanticism" in 1995), indeed, reflects one of the most important trends of post-Soviet art in Russia: finding your own place in the wide field of Western and world art. However, Novikov's self-proclaimed "Russianness" (Russian) remains a controversial and very conditional characteristic of the legacy of the "neo-academicians". According to the reviewer, the nationwide influence of "neo-academicians" is not yet so obvious as to unequivocally speak about their contribution to Russian art. For such an assessment of the manifestations and self—esteem of the artists themselves, it is not enough - a deeper historical retrospective is needed, taking into account the development of the established tradition through several generations of artists. Russian Russian art. Therefore, the author should either substantiate his assessment of the contribution of "neo-academicians" to Russian art in advance, including explaining what he understands by Russian art, or use a less controversial formulation: for example, "contribution to modern Russian art." The author finally comes to the conclusion that "mixed techniques in the development of Russian visual arts are associated with the search for new forms, compositional solutions, the formation of a unique author's language, the originality of the work." However, this judgment does not follow from the logic of the previous text, moreover, it contradicts the observation noted by the author that "mixed media as an experimental field of artistic practices is under development, therefore universal criteria and classifications have not been developed." Of course, if the author had proposed his own development of criteria and classification of mixed media as an artistic method inherent in "neo-academicians", this contradiction would have been corrected. But this is not the case. It turns out that by designating the uncertainty of "mixed techniques", the author in the conclusion reduces his research to uncertainty instead of clarifying the situation. This logical error usually indicates the absence of a scientific result. At the same time, the author follows the concept of mixed media given by B. R. Whipper in relation to classical and established types of art, and complements it taking into account certain characteristics of postmodernism and metamodernism practices, primarily in the plastic art objects of "neo-academicians". It is the addition of existing scientific knowledge that is the value of a scientific publication, which the author did not focus on in the conclusion. Thus, it has to be stated that the subject of the study was disclosed by the author inconsistently: despite the valuable observations of the author in the main part, they did not find proper evaluation in the conclusion. The reviewer recommends strengthening the final conclusion by specifically identifying the scientific novelty of the achieved result, and reformulating a judgment similar to a theoretical oxymoron on the basis of "fundamental research of this artistic trend." The research methodology has strengths and weaknesses. The author's approach itself, which is an authorization of the classical installations of B. R. Whipper, taking into account the specifics of the innovations of the "neo-academicians" and leading to a rethinking of mixed media as an artistic method, seems to be a noteworthy methodological find. But the author did not have the courage to focus the reader's attention on this. Why? Or the author himself is not sure that the proposed approach is his merit (for this it is necessary to delve deeper into the critical and analytical works of colleagues, including the theoretical works of B. R. Whipper and T. P. Novikov, in order to specifically point out to the reader the non-trivial result achieved by the author). Or the author intentionally hides the source of the proposed approach, which borders on plagiarism and is the basis for rejecting publication in any scientific journal. The reviewer strongly recommends that the author resolve this ambiguity (or/or) in the form of a specific statement. At the same time, the weak side should include the lack of a transparent research program (a logical chain of tasks set and solved by relevant methods). The logic of the research can be seen from an attempt to define the main instrumental categories of analysis to the innovation of T. P. Novikov in search of an artistic method relevant to the developing political and cultural situation. However, the tasks solved by the author are poorly structured: there are no intermediate conclusions that could be generalizations in the end. The author justifies the relevance of the chosen topic by the lack of an art criticism analysis of "works and art objects from the position of the postmodern paradigm, which has become a determining factor in the development of the artist's creative method and artistic and stylistic features." It is necessary to agree with the stated thesis. But where is the author's contribution to the development of methods of art criticism analysis from the perspective of the postmodern paradigm? If, with the help of an enhanced conclusion, the author gives an answer to the question posed, which seems quite likely to be the result of finalizing the article, then the declared relevant research program can be considered completed. The scientific novelty of the work, according to the reviewer, lies in an attempt to substantiate mixed media as an artistic method inherent in "neo-academicians". However, it should be clarified to the reader whether the approach proposed by the author is a contribution to the development of the postmodern paradigm of art criticism analysis.
The style of the text is generally scientific, but the author should correct a number of errors: 1) the journal has strict editorial requirements for the use of dates in the text (see https://nbpublish.com/fkmag/common_106.html ); 2) the text is replete with errors in the coordination of words, which significantly complicate the reading of the author's thought (for example: "... in the context of the dynamics of socio-political processes, a change in ideology, familiarization with the values of the Western world in the era of Perestroika", "... Baudrillard He noted that the modern world is losing its physical reality and replacing it with ghost simulacra...", "The principle of cultural appropriation, the use of real objects or fragments of them in works, material symbols of epochs and cultures, as well as existing works has become one of the main directions in the work of neo-academicians...", "... embodies the ideas of new meanings and ways of expression ...", "... the principle influenced the ideological and aesthetic development of Russian art of this period, addressing the world of everyday life ...", etc.) — you need to carefully read the text. The structure of the presentation of the results of the study, as noted above, also needs a little refinement. In the reviewer's opinion, it will be enough to conditionally divide the text into separate tasks solved by the author, summarized by intermediate conclusions that can be summarized in the conclusion. The bibliography consists mainly of a list of online media (sources), with the exception of individual scientific works (A. Borovsky and N. A. Ses, A. N. Shchirova), including an unverified source of an unknown author (see paragraph 8 https://studfile.net/preview/5996512/page:21 /), which the author passes off as a text by E. Giddens and Y. Habbermas, which is not true. Descriptions of scientific journals (paragraphs 2, 3) require correction in accordance with GOST. The reviewer draws the author's attention to the fact that the weak reflection in the text and in the bibliography of the degree of elaboration in the scientific literature of the problem raised significantly reduces the scientific value of the article. The appeal to opponents is generally correct (with the exception of the above-mentioned precedent), but I would like to see a clearer distinction between the author's thoughts and his colleagues in those places where quotations are used. The article submitted for review has the potential to gain the interest of the readership of the journal "Philosophy and Culture" after revision, taking into account the comments of the reviewer.

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The author submitted his article "Mixed Media in neo-academic art objects" to the journal "Philosophy and Culture", which conducted a study of the embodiment of new meanings in art as part of the artistic method. In studying this issue, the author proceeds from the fact that the mixed techniques used to create neo-academic art objects are not only a combination of the principles of creating works of different types of fine art, but also the search for new forms, compositional solutions, a unique author's language and originality. As the author notes, the peculiarity of this method was that the material was understood as a sign connecting artists with tradition, including artistic tradition; as an artifact of mass culture; as a means to recreate images of classical art. The relevance of the research is due to the demand for such approaches in the application of mixed techniques in the work of modern Russian artists, including those working in the context of metamodern ideas, such as the infinity of meanings, physiology and the new emotionality of art. The methodological basis of the research was an integrated approach, including general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, as well as socio-cultural, artistic analysis, content analysis of scientific texts. The theoretical basis of the study was the works of Yu. Kristeva, J. Lacan, J. Lyotard, J. Derrida, M. Foucault, J. Baudrillard, B.V. Wipper, Y. M. Lotman, etc. The empirical material was the works of neo-academic artists, in particular the co-founder of the "New Artists" (1982) and the "New Academy of Fine Arts" T.P. Novikov. In his research, the author relies on the study of mixed techniques by B.R. Whipper, according to which their essence lies in an original combination of principles of performing works of different types. However, as the author notes, it has not been supplemented taking into account certain characteristics of postmodernism and metamodernism practices, primarily through the prism of plasticity of neo-academic art objects. Accordingly, the author sees the purpose of this article in supplementing the definition of mixed techniques proposed by B.R. Whipper with the approaches proposed by neo-academic artists when creating art objects. The author has carried out a detailed bibliographic analysis of works devoted to the studied problems, as a result of which he comes to the conclusion that in the research of the creative heritage of neo-academicians, the idea of an axiological context prevails in the understanding and interpretation of this artistic trend; art critics and art historians focus on the analysis of this trend as a phenomenon of artistic life. At the same time, the author notes the lack of an art criticism analysis of the works and art objects themselves from the perspective of the postmodern paradigm, which has become a determining factor in the development of the artist's creative method and the artistic and stylistic features of art objects. The author also draws attention to the fact that the use of mixed media as a creative method of both neo-academicians and modern artists has not been sufficiently studied in the theory of art criticism. There is no unambiguous interpretation of this term today. Mixed media as an experimental field of artistic practices is under development, so universal criteria and classifications have not been developed. The author attributes the study of mixed techniques to the practices of postmodernism and metamodernism in art, which are characterized by an appeal to camp and neoclassicism as the language of Western conservatism and postmodern figurative art. From the author's point of view, the importance of such approaches lies in the fact that they actualized and popularized the use of mixed techniques in the formation of a unique author's artistic language and the physiology of art. The author pays special attention to the study of the features of the creative method of the founder of the "New Academy of Fine Arts" T.P. Novikov and his influence on the work of such artists as A.A. Vinogradov, V.Y. Mamyshev-Monroe, A. N. Petrov. In conclusion, the author presents a conclusion on the conducted research, which contains all the key provisions of the presented material. It seems that the author in his material touched upon relevant and interesting issues for modern socio-humanitarian knowledge, choosing a topic for analysis, consideration of which in scientific research discourse will entail certain changes in the established approaches and directions of analysis of the problem addressed in the presented article. The results obtained allow us to assert that the study of trends and artistic methods of modern art and their relationship with the socio-cultural situation is of undoubted scientific and practical cultural interest and deserves further study. The material presented in the work has a clear, logically structured structure that contributes to a more complete assimilation of the material. This is also facilitated by an adequate choice of an appropriate methodological framework. The bibliography of the study consisted of 13 sources, which seems sufficient for generalization and analysis of scientific discourse on the subject under study. The author fulfilled his goal, received certain scientific results that allowed him to summarize the material. It should be noted that the article may be of interest to readers and deserves to be published in a reputable scientific publication.