№ 85 (2025)

The work of Russian artists Oleg Zhogin, Natalia Tsvetkova, Andrei Blokhin, and Georgy Kuznetsov is analysed in the context of new avantgarde trends in contemporary art. Although not personally acquainted, they embraced new currents in philosophy and art. Their individual themes, goals, and objectives evolve based on current scientific and technological advancements in an effort to expand their creative possibilities and the overall development of art. Their work incorporates new technologies and compositional principles in interaction with synthetic composite materials. Their creative positions are grounded in the pursuit of exploring open and all-encompassing space, technological experiments, and the search for new means of artistic expression from a humanistic worldview. Their work is relevant to the time, and their experiments reveal new expressive possibilities of new materials and technologies. Their creations are original and interesting, and the authors are recognised as part of the avantgarde art community.

Alexandra Andreevna Konstantinova (1871-1944), a specialist in Western European art, was a graduate of the Higher Women’s (Bestuzhev) Courses. Having received a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Zurich, she was accepted as a teacher at her alma mater, where she worked from 1908 until the end of 1917 at the department of theory and history of arts. Her area of interest included the activities of the Museum of Fine Arts at the Higher Women’s Courses. At the Petrograd-Leningrad University, the art historian served in the Archaeological Department (1922-1923), the Faculty of Linguistics and Material Culture (1926-1927). At the same time, Konstantinova taught at the Higher Courses of Art History at the State Institute of Art History at Glavnauka of the People’s Commissariat for Education. After devoting nearly two decades to teaching Western European art, she moved on to library work. For the first time in Russian historiography, the article highlights the role of Konstantinova - a teacher.

This article discusses current trends in the study of illustrated modern books for children and adolescents in Russia. The main tasks of the chosen issue are defined, namely: the introduction of the names and works of modern and little-studied illustrators into scientific circulation, the generalisation of artistic processes in children’s books of the late 20th century - early 21st century, the analysis of the impact of institutional activities of publishing houses, etc. In the study of book art, it is necessary to clarify and expand the terminological apparatus, to build an updated morphology of an illustrated children’s book, proceeding from the visual component of the object of research and the book as a sociocultural phenomenon. The author of the article emphasises the need for a comprehensive study of the illustrated book for children and adolescents as a visual and semiotic system in the context of sociocultural and institutional features in Russia in the context of postmodern culture and metamodernism.

The piano cycle “Pictures at an Exhibition” by M. P. Mussorgsky is one of the undisputed peaks of Russian music. Despite the apparent wide coverage of this work in scientific literature, it conceals a lot of mysteries and provides an opportunity for its multiple rethinking. Many outstanding pianists have addressed its interpretation: V. Horowitz, M. Yudina, M. Pletnev, V. Ashkenazy, but the performance of S. T. Richter stands out for its special depth and allows us to discover new meanings in understanding this masterpiece. The peculiarities of Richter’s interpretation of “Pictures at an Exhibition” allow us to form our own view of the figurative content of the cycle. The ideas expressed in this article differ somewhat from the traditional understanding of “Pictures” as musical illustrations to the works of V. Hartmann. The work, created during a difficult period in the composer’s life, is considered in the article as a deeply personal narrative of Mussorgsky about life and death.

The article examines the activities of the remarkable Russian bass singer Nikolai Okhotnikov as a performer of chamber vocal music. The artist’s repertoire in this area was extremely wide. A special place in it was occupied by the works of Russian composers of the past. The article systematises Okhotnikov’s concert repertoire, analyses the features of the singer’s performance of Russian folk songs, as well as a number of his renditions of the music of M. Glinka, M. Mussorgsky, A. Dargomyzhsky, P. Tchaikovsky, Ant. Rubinstein, A. Borodin, N. Rimsky-Korsakov and others. A conclusion is made about the high significance of Okhotnikov’s activities as a chamber performer in the Russian vocal culture of the 20th-21st centuries.

The article is devoted to the stylistic and genre features of piano works by contemporary Chinese composers. A classification of concert piano works is given depending on the genre and programmatic nature. A general characteristic of contemporary Chinese piano works is given, as well as the legacy of individual composers - Xin Huguang, Zhang Shuai, Wei Dongming. Pieces by composers Felix Firmiana Wot, Kio Song, Ed Peng, Xavier Shuang Xu are analysed. Common features of concert piano works by contemporary Chinese composers are revealed: the free attitude to form, abundance of melismas, chromaticisms, avoidance of the main tonality, the use of all piano registers, complex and varied metre and rhythm, explicit and hidden programmatic nature, virtuosity, and performance difficulties. The purpose of the article is to theoretically study and analyse, using specific examples, the stylistic and genre features of the piano works of modern Chinese composers. The research methods are: study and analysis of literature on the topic of the article, work with musical text, musicological and performance analysis of concert works for piano.

The article examines the meaning of the use of traditional Chinese instruments in Chinese classical dance and determines their symbolism. Using the example of dances with guzheng and lusheng, which are widespread in China, the author of the article reveals not only musical but also cultural and philosophical significance of these instruments in dance art. It is concluded that these instruments symbolise the national self-identity and unique thinking of the Chinese people, its centuries-old history.

The article analyses the changes in the foreign policy of the Republic of Armenia towards NATO after the “velvet revolution” of 2018. Key areas of cooperation are considered, including participation in the Partnership for Peace (PfP) and Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) programmes, as well as Armenia’s contribution to NATO peacekeeping missions. The purpose of the study is to assess the impact of political, military and economic changes on the development of Armenia’s relations with the North Atlantic Alliance and their role in ensuring national security.

The article examines how the Russian folklore influenced the formation of A. K. Lyadov’s musical language. The author highlights the origins of the composer’s passion for the Russian folk traditions. The Russian folklore is analysed in his key works: symphonic miniatures “Baba Yaga”, “Kikimora”, “Magic Lake”, collections of children’s songs, arrangements of Russian folk tunes, the cycle “Eight Russian Folk Songs”.

The Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) was the apogee of bilateral tensions between Russia and Japan in the Far East in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Just over 2,000 people were captured by the Russians. It should be noted that not all prisoners of war were ethnic Japanese: Chinese, Koreans, Europeans, and Americans were also captured by the Russians. Despite the fact that most of the prisoners were Japanese military personnel, there were also representatives of civilian professions in captivity. The paper provides an analysis of the composition of prisoners of war. It is concluded that most of the prisoners were ethnic Japanese, the rest were representatives of other nationalities. It seems interesting to trace the circumstances of the surrender of the above-described ethnic groups, as well as their professional affiliation.

The article is devoted to the emergence and development of sketch graphics of costumes in Novosibirsk in the second half of the 20th century. Particular attention in the study is paid to the creation and work of the Novosibirsk Fashion House. The author of the article analyses the sketch graphics of the “Album of Fashion”, the Novosibirsk fashion publication of 1953-1957, and determines the features of the creative work of the magazine’s main artist Nikolai Gritsyuk. For the first time the article reveals the names of fashion designers (1970-2000), whose sketch graphics of costumes are stored in the archive of the Novosibirsk Museum of Local History

The article is devoted to the methodological and source study analysis of the organisation and development of fire protection in the Yenisei Province from the end of the 19th century to the first quarter of the 20th century. The author examines the evolution of firefighting, paying special attention to the role of volunteer firefighting societies, their interaction with local authorities and the influence of all-Russian practices on regional initiatives. The work analyses the charters of volunteer firefighting societies, minutes of city council meetings, reports and statistical data, which allows identifying key trends and features of the development of fire protection in the region. The use of historical-typological, historical- systemic and statistical methods contributes to a comprehensive study of the topic. Particular attention is paid to the activities of the Krasnoyarsk Voluntary Firefighting Society and its contribution to the organisation of firefighting. The article contributes to the study of the regional history of fire protection, highlighting the specifics of the Yenisei Province in the context of broader Russian processes.