Abstract: The subject of this article is K. Wheeldon's interpretation of the female images of Shakespeare's "Winter's Tale" in the context of its ideological and figurative identity to the literary source. The research is carried out in order to determine the expressive means and elements of choreographic vocabulary used by the choreographer in the production of female roles, as well as their contextual comparison with the text of the original source. In the course of the research, the author of the article, due to the versatility of the problem of interpreting W. Shakespeare's play on the ballet stage, used an integrated approach. The theoretical basis of the work was the principles of critical and semantic analysis of choreographic vocabulary developed by historians and theorists of ballet art (Dobrovolskaya, Krasovskaya, Slonimsky, Lopukhov, Surits). In the process of source analysis, English-language reviews of the world premiere of the ballet were reviewed (quotes from the articles are translated by the author), as well as video materials from the archives of the London Royal Opera House and the Moscow Bolshoi Theater. In addition, the included observation method was used (based on personal experience of working with Wheeldon as a performer of the Loss part in a Bolshoi Theater performance), accompanied by an analysis of rehearsal recordings for March – April 2019, which are in the author's archive. So, the detailed semantic analysis of the composition and choreographic vocabulary of female images of Shakespeare's late play "The Winter's Tale", interpreted by Wheeldon in the ballet of the same name, carried out in this article, was the main tool in the development of the scientific problem posed. The new results of the study include a significant groundwork in the aspect of identifying classical and innovative artistic elements of the dance language developed and used by Wheeldon, which allowed us to draw the following conclusions. Conceptually starting from Shakespeare's text, the choreographer adapts the interpretation of female images to a certain extent, guided by the expressive potential of conventional ballet art. At the same time, in the production of female roles, individualized plastic interpretations of the heroines become the main means of expression.

Keywords: multi - act ballet, late play, female images, Pauline, Loss, Joby Talbot, Hermione, Winter Fairy Tale, Christopher Wheeldon, William Shakespeare

Abstract: The object of this research is the small crowns of Russian empresses of the XVIII – early XIX century. The goal of this work consists in specification of circumstances of the creation and presence of small imperial crowns in Russia of that time, description of their artistic attributes, and analysis of these regalia as the works of jewelry art, considering stylistic evolution. For achieving the designated goal, the author applied comprehensive method of research based on the combination of art criticism and historical-cultural approach, referring to a range of sources: from unpublished archival documents and memoirs of contemporaries to visual material. The article clarifies the term “small” crown. Based on the archival documents, the author introduces into the scientific discourse the records on a number previously unknown small crowns, as well as specifies the circumstances of their creation along with names of the craftsmen. The artistic image of small Imperial crowns was analyzed for the first time. The conducted research demonstrates that in the XVIII century this image transformed under the influence of stylistic preferences in Russian artistic culture and due to the change of court jewelers who belonged to different schools of jewelry art. In the XIX century, influenced by the national ideas and according to the already established state ceremonial, which tends to traditionalism, the exterior of small crowns was fully oriented towards the small crown of 1797.

Keywords: the art of jewellery, Jacob Dublon, Samson Larionov, imperial court, regalia, Russian empresses, coronation, Small crown, imperial crown, Jacob Duval

Abstract: This article reviews the current content of social functions of the philosophy. The popularity of philosophy, which used to be considered one of the leading areas of culture and provided ideological grounds for social movements, is diminishing in technogenic society. The social functions previously fulfilled by philosophy no longer align with the societal interests. Science and politics do not challenge philosophy with the global questions, to which it has always sought answers. An assumption is made that one of the causes for the current decline of interest in philosophy is its social dysfunctions: along with the yielding benefits, philosophy can also be counterproductive. The research methodology contains articulation and discussion of the problems, comparative and situational analysis, structuring of concepts, cultural-historical comparisons, typological constructs, and generalizations. As a result, the author determines the two social dysfunctions of philosophy that may be the cause for its current unpopularity. Socio-axiological dysfunction impairs the foundations of social order, criticizing the fundamental worldview principles of culture. Hypercritical dysfunction disorientates the person by multiplicity of philosophical doctrines, and impedes selecting their own worldview principles, demonstrating the refutability of any opinion. It is concluded that philosophy could be more actively involved in humanization of the society, if leans towards neutralization of these dysfunctions and improvement of the narrative form of philosophical research.

Keywords: humanization, culture, dysfunction, social functions, technogenic society, modernity, philosophy, man, science, worldview

Abstract:   This article presents an extended interpretation of the meaning of semiotic approach, which allows to comprehend from the perspective of semiotics not only the symbols that are adequately described in linguistics and semiotics, but also iconic signs, symbols, schemes, and artworks. For a better understanding, the author suggests two cases, one of which is taken from culturological studies, the other – from children's literature. Leaning on the material of these cases, the author formulates the peculiarities of broadened understanding of semiotic approach. The effectiveness of such understanding is illustrated by the example of semiotic interpretation of Roman Faerstein’s literary work. As a result of the conducted research, the author proposed an extended interpretation of semiotic approach, which includes the analysis of situation and problems, resolution of which leads to the creation of new semiotic tools; untraditional understanding of these tools; reconstruction of reality, which is signified by various semiotic tools. In the author’s opinion, structuring of the reality of a certain text is attributed to semiotic interpretation, since the reality alongside other schemes, signs, symbols, metaphors and other semiotic formations, is an important semiotic concept in terms of the augmented meaning of semiotic approach.  

Keywords: content, meaning, default, interpretation, cases, semiotics, schemes, signs, culture, reality

Abstract: The relevance of studying military-memorial heritage is defined by terminological uncertainty of the phenomenon. The subject of this research is the basic essential parameters of military-memorial heritage within the framework of humanistic knowledge. The object of this research is the military-memorial heritage as a phenomenon of national culture. The authors explore the key structural forms of existence, species diversity, social functions and specific attributes of the military-memorial heritage; leaning on that conduct structural-functional analysis and determine essential parameters of the “military memorial heritage” as a cultural phenomenon. In the course of this work, the authors apply the interdisciplinary method of research due to the fact that military-memorial heritage attracts attention of the scholars of humanities (culturology, sociology, political science, history, philosophy, and others), as well as deductive method that suggests narrative logic from the general to the specific. In the context of this study, the “general” implies such phenomena as historical memory, heritage, and cultural policy, while the “specific” implies the derivative sociocultural phenomena (military-memorial culture, military memorial heritage, etc.). The scientific novelty lies in the attempt to determine the essential parameters of the phenomenon of military-memorial heritage. The conclusion is made that possessing the particular characteristics, military-memorial heritage requires conceptualization and profound scientific cognition. The key positions of the research were implemented in terms of grant programs of the President of the Russian Federation for government support of the leading young Russian scholars – Doctors of Sciences (MD-2020 Contest), and the project “Culture of Memory of Industrial Cities of the Russian Province: Memorial Strategies of Regional Identity”.

Keywords: monument, defender of Fatherland, military burial place, cultural phenomenon, essential parameters, state cultural policy, military memorial culture, military memorial heritage, memorial complex, search movement