ICONOLOGICAL METHOD IN SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF ARTWORKS

The history of art is marked by many experiments in expanding and contrasting different methods and concepts. Nevertheless, in recent years there have been increasing attempts to draw parallels between iconology and semiotics. Of particular interest is the so-called Erwin Panofsky method, which forms the basis of modern iconology. The article discusses various aspects of the use of the iconological method in connection with the semiotic analysis of artistic works. Both general questions of the formation of iconology and special questions of its application and synthesis in the context of semiotic analysis are highlighted. A brief overview of the main iconological principles in revealing the figurative and symbolic content of the work is given, and the main features of the structural mechanisms underlying the semiotic approach are summarized. The scientific novelty of the work is determined primarily by the fact that for the first time the peculiarities of the application of the iconological method as one of the tools of semiotic analysis are investigated. Semiotics and iconology have a wide range of application in the study of culture-specific relations, since in contemporary art criticism, there is a great scientific interest in understanding the artwork as a carrier of national-cultural information. All this increases the methodological possibilities for studying the artwork, and thus expands the boundaries of the historical study of fine art.

DRAMATIC EXPRESSIVENESS OF THE LANGUAGE OF FOLK CHARACTER DANCE IN CLASSICAL HERITAGE BALLETS

The article focuses on the phenomenon of folk character dance, which is a unique feature of Russian art, traces the key stages in the development of folk character dance in Russian ballet and identifies the sources that served as the basis for its figurative language. It is noted that the language of folk character dance is the creative fruit of many choreographers, whose works in the XXIst century are perceived as vivid examples of heritage. The author reviews the specificity of imagery in folk character dance currently existing in classical ballet repertoire. Significant attention is paid to the subtleties of depicting national characters when creating dance images of various ethnic groups. The author also considers the characteristic visualization in folk character dance, highlighting and describing distinctive features of a number of national characters more frequently implemented by the language of folk character dance in classical ballet and opera choreography of Russian music theatres. The article substantiates the idea that underestimating the potential of the language of folk character dance as means of expressiveness in ballet theatre leads to limitations for the new generation of choreographers striving to create realistic and truthful dramatic characters, depriving them of national distinction. In her research, the author aims to actualize the question of preservation of national character on the Russian ballet stage in the XXIst century.

THE HISTORY OF THE CREATION OF THE BALLET "THE WHITE-HAIRED GIRL"

The article is devoted to the history of the creation of the ballet "The White-Haired Girl", which was included among the "exemplary productions" during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The plot of the ballet, based on class contradictions between landowners and peasants, has folklore origins: first it appeared in the novel, then the first national Chinese opera was created, later adapted for cinema and became the basis for the ballet. The ballet "The White-Haired Girl" was commissioned by Chinese leadership. It includes the historical facts of the class struggle and shows the formation of a personality ready to resist exploitation and fight for freedom for all. The ballet's music, composed by Yan Jinxuan, also includes revolutionary folk songs and numbers taken from the opera of the same name. Compared to the opera, the ballet enhances revolutionary features in the characters. The choreography harmoniously combines classical ballet pas with the characteristics of Chinese folk dance and martial arts. The ballet "The White-Haired Girl" is performed with ongoing success since its inception in 1965 to the present day and is rightly considered a "red classic" with a high ideology and artistry.

"TOUS LES MATINS DU MONDE": POETRY OF FADING SOUND

The object of the article is Alain Corneau's feature film "All the Mornings of the World" ("Tous les matins du monde", 1991). The movie is considered as a work of art with strong postmodern tendencies. The director uses music written in the XVIIth century to create an image of the era. The image of the gambist de Sainte-Colombe is formed on the basis of the aesthetic and emotional perception of his works by the creators of the movie. The timbre of viola da gamba, one of the key features of which is rapid fading, defines the main philosophical idea of the film. The "disadvantage" of the instrument, which contributed to its short life in art, is perceived by the filmmakers as its original value. The rapidly fading sound becomes a metaphorical symbol of dying and rebirth, death and immortality being one. In addition, Baroque music performs the function of temporary "immersion". Using the music of ancient styles, the film industry gains a foothold in true values and an element of authenticity. In turn, by participating in cinema, it appropriates the features of mass culture: lightness, illusiveness, and easy accessibility. Such ambivalence is also characteristic of the plot, in which events that evoke completely modern feelings take place against a historical background far removed from the present moment.

MA SICONG AND HIS ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHINESE MUSICAL CULTURE

This article focuses on the life and creative activities of Ma Sicong, one of the most significant Chinese musicians of the mid-XXth century, a multi-talented and outstanding violinist who showed his prowess in various spheres of artistic life: performing, teaching, composing, musical and social activities. Ma Sicong contributed to each of these fields as a virtuoso soloist whose example was followed by his contemporaries, young musicians and as a teacher who trained numerous students retaining the most enthusiastic memories of their professor. The highly professional violin school he established, which continued Chinese and European musical traditions, became a fruitful source for the development of modern performing arts. Ma Sicong's creative life was not an easy one; periods of brilliant achievements and growth alternated with dramatic peripeteia, which led to his departure from China in the most difficult historical period for the country — the period of the "Cultural Revolution" (late 1950s — early 1970s ).

PERFORMING ARTS IN RUSSIA IN THE CONTEXT OF THE PANDEMIC

This article is devoted to the modern history of performing arts during the pandemic. It examines the activities of authorities and theaters, concert organizations and concert organizers from 2020 to mid-2021. Countries plunged into self-isolation. The cultural sphere has been restructured, cultural contacts minimized, while video communication systems have evolved into virtual platforms in homes. The artists, left without full-fledged "live" concerts and performances were distressed. Halls could be accessed by documents and in very limited numbers. The article discusses two fundamental documents prepared by Rospotrebnadzor and appeared during this period: "Recommendations for Implementation of Measures Aimed at Prevention of the Spread of the New Coronavirus Infection (COVID-19) When Performing Activities of Theaters and Concert Organisations" and "On Measures to Limit the Spread of a New Coronavirus Infection (COVID-2019) on the Territory of the Russian Federation in Cases of Mass Events". Both documents were intensively discussed at various forums of performing arts managers in Russia.

THE FORM OF THE SUITE IN BALLET AND ITS METRORHYTHMIC ORGANIZATION

The article reveals the peculiarities of metrorhythmic organization of the classical dance cycle (suite), typical for Russian ballet of the XIXth century and its evolution in the early XXth century under the influence of innovations in the field of rhythm in the ballets by Igor Stravinsky. The purpose of this article is to find mechanisms of interaction between dance and music based on coordination of their temporal parameters. The material of analysis is the classical dance cycle that performs both compositional and dramaturgical functions in the ballet. Apart from the metrorhythmic and compositional system of organizing time in ballet music, other types of time can be distinguished: real, psychological (subjective) and conceptual, artistic time organizing the processes of the characters' life cycle and the development of action in the virtual time of the artwork. In a classical dance cycle in each number, real time predominates, but when the numbers alternate, subject to the principle of contrast, the conceptual time has a corrective effect. The alternation of musical and choreographic numbers in a ballet determines the rhythm of the form or "compositional rhythm" (according to V. P. Bobrovsky). The correlation of temporal proportions of numbers is considered on the example of ballets "Swan Lake" by P. Tchaikovsky and "Petrushka" by I. Stravinsky. The compositional unit is the duration of the stage segment of the musical form, the change of which creates the rhythm of the form.

TRADITION AND INNOVATION IN THE WORKS OF O. A. KIPRENSKY: PORTRAIT OF A. K. SCHWALBE

The article considers one of the key works of the portrait genre of the 1800s — the portrait of Adam K. Schwalbe by Orest A. Kiprensky. The analysis of this work by several generations of art historians (Herman A. Nedoshivin, Natalia N. Kovalenskaya, Dmitry V. Sarabyanov, Yakov V. Brook, Irina V. Linnik) reveals its main substantial and formal features, and also clarifies issues related to the concepts of tradition and innovation. All those who have written about this work agree that the artistic image of A. K. Schwalbe's portrait is based on impressions of Rubens and Rembrandt. However, a more careful analysis of Kiprensky's work provides an opportunity to considerably expand the sources of possible borrowings not only from the masters of the past. Studying it in the context of the art of 1800s leads to the conclusion that the works of Kiprensky's contemporaries (in particular Salvatore Tonchi) contain the same motifs used in the portrait of Schwalbe, namely: attributes of "fur coat portraits", the full-face representation of the model and the tightness of space, sharp character and expressiveness of the portrait's appearance. To prove the thesis that Kiprensky was influenced by the art of his time, a large number of works (including those by unknown artists), both famous and little-known, are involved.

CULTURAL CONTACTS BETWEEN RUSSIA AND CHINA IN THE FIELD OF MUSIC AND DRAMA THEATER (50s of the XXth century)

The article is devoted to the cultural cooperation between the USSR and the People's Republic of China in the field of musical theater. The Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance between these two countries, signed in Moscow on February 14, 1950, became a starting point in the development of cultural contacts. The most productive period was from 1949 to early 1960s. An important marker of the development of Soviet-Chinese cultural relations was the tour of theater troupes from both countries to the Soviet Union and the Celestial Empire. The Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Musical Theater team visited China in 1954, and later the artists of the Shaoxing Opera and the Shanghai Theater of Beijing Musical Drama demonstrated their art in Russian cities. The two countries' directors showed mutual interest in the classical opera art of their counterparts: in Beijing and Tianjin P. I. Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin" and "The Queen of Spades" were performed by Chinese singers, while in Russian cities the traditional Chinese theatre plays "The Spilled Cup" and "The Grey-Haired Girl" were staged by Russian artists.

I. G. AGAFONNIKOV — PORTRAIT OF A CONDUCTOR AND TEACHER

The article presents a portrait of the outstanding choral conductor and teacher Igor Germanovich Agafonnikov (1932–2005) and highlights his pedagogical principles and methodological guidelines. The main feature of Agafonnikov's pedagogical style is the ability to create an atmosphere of special trust and respect towards students. It is pointed out the continuity of his pedagogical work with the historic traditions of Russian choral school represented by his mentors: Evstolia Nikolaevna Zvereva in the School at the Moscow State Conservatory named after P. I. Tchaikovsky and Vasily Petrovich Mukhin at the Moscow Conservatory. The author considers the main provisions of I. G. Agafonnikov's methodological work "Reflections on Choirmaster Training in the Middle Level of Musical Education", which fully reflects the fundamental principles of the teacher-conductor. Characteristic features of his individual pedagogical style, based on the liberal-democratic and tolerant methods of students' education under constant activity of all participants of the pedagogical process, are summarized. The professor's methodological approach to the work with students and the choir is analyzed. Particular attention is paid to the rehearsal process, in which the conductor encourages the singers to perform consciously and meaningfully.