Review: This article discusses the cult of the tutelary spirits (thành hoàng) in Vietnam. These are spirits venerated as patrons of villages, rural communities and urban areas in Vietnam are expected to protect area against calamities, disasters, epidemics, wars, etc. These are mythical, historical and pseudo-historical characters who have merits to the area and its inhabitants. The veneration of them is rooted in the traditional culture. It is an integral part of the Vietnamese folk religion (tín ngưỡng dân gian Việt Nam). The spirits of the area are included in the pantheon of numerous deities and spirits (thần) worshipped by the Vietnamese nowadays despite the anti-religious policy of the Communist Party of Vietnam (in the second half of the 20th century). The article describes the main features of the Vietnamese folk religion, which is the context in which the thành hoàng cult still exists, describes the role of the cult and its connections with other phenomena of the Vietnamese folk religion. Our comparison of the thành hoàng cult with similar cults of neighboring peoples allows to identify the influence of alien religious and philosophical systems - Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Christianity, ideologies of the 20th century. This comparative analysis allows to reconstruct the origins and milestones in the development of the thành hoàng cult. The cult has not previously been studied by Soviet and Russian orientalists. I propose the first systematic description of the cult, its place in the Vietnamese religious system and its origins.

Keywords: spirits cult, spirits veneration, Asian Studies, Far East religions, syncretism, deities, folk religion, tutelary spirits, guardian spirits, Vietnam

Review: The object of the study is the work of the French composer of the XIX century Giacomo Meyerbeer, the subject of the study is the informative and entertaining components of his work. The most famous works of the famous maestro are used for analysis: "Robert the Devil", "Huguenots", "The Prophet", "Dinora". The author examines the ratio of "meaningful" and "entertaining" components in the dramatic and musical construction of the opera from the viewpoint of the traditional art of the XIX century installation "Entertaining - to teach!". The aim of the study is to correct the thesis about entertainment as the main drawback of Meyerbeer's operas, since all works of stage art, including his contemporaries, cannot do without an entertainment component. The main conclusion of the study is that the meaningful, instructive side in Meyerbeer's works is formally preserved, which, at first glance, makes the reproaches of his critics meaningless. However, upon closer examination, it turns out that the content of the operas is emasculated, reduced to the level of platitudes and cliches, becomes contradictory and even ridiculous, while the entertainment side is strengthened and becomes the leading one. Thus, the reproach of entertainment against Meyerbeer should be corrected: their defect is not that they entertain, but that they lose a meaningful component. This model of the ratio of entertainment and content will later be used by modern mass art.

Keywords: the grand opera, the ideological content of the work, art criticism, opera dramaturgy, Giacomo Meyerbeer, romanticism, entertainment, french opera, Eugene Scribe, spectacular arts

Review: The article offers the author's reconstruction of two novels and partly the life of Alexander Bogdanov. In terms of methodology, the author relies on the studies of art and his works published by him, which include three main plans - an analysis of the sphere of art, artistic communication and the artistic reality of the work. The study opens with the formulation of problems: the genre of novels is called into question as a utopia (the author believes that it is rather a social projection in the form of a work of art), the actions of the characters are incomprehensible, it is not clear why Bogdanov builds the plot so paradoxically. To resolve these problems, the author turns to the personality of Bogdanov, shows its duality: on the one hand, the desire for power and leaderism, on the other hand, the denial of these values and switching to scientific and teaching activities. This approach allows building a plausible, from the point of view of the author, reconstruction of the artistic reality of the novels and its events. At the same time, the author distinguishes two types of events in artistic reality. The first type is events that line up in response to a completely conscious problem or task. The second type does not imply an awareness of the problem facing the artist (it can only be felt as a vague dissatisfaction or desire), and there is no clear understanding of the way to solve this problem. The proposed reconstruction also makes it possible to explain some features of the evolution of Bogdanov himself: a break with Lenin and the Bolshevik leadership, the rejection of leaderism, switching to the construction of the science of "Tectology".

Keywords: suicide, invasion, duality, problems, decision, understanding, novel, personality, socialism, evolution

Review: The article is devoted to the interaction and transformation of a mythological, mystical creature (cat) with a female image in Japanese painting. The subject of the study is the images of cats and women on scrolls and engravings of the XVIII-XX centuries. Attention is focused on the modern mythological aspect of Japanese culture. The aesthetic canons of beauty perception in the context of the national culture of Japan, based on Shintoism and Buddhism, are emphasized. Comparative historical and iconographic research methods were used in the analysis of cultural, philosophical and art-historical scientific materials. The relevance of the topic is due to the revival of interest in the mythological heritage of Japan, the transformation of mythological images and their feminization in modern popular culture. The novelty of the research lies in the comparative analysis of female images and mythological images of cats in Japanese classical painting and modern kawaii culture, based on the philosophical and aesthetic traditions of Japan. The novelty of the research lies in the comparative analysis of female images and mythological images of cats in Japanese classical painting and modern kawaii culture, based on the philosophical and aesthetic traditions of Japan. An attempt is made to compare the mythological images of cats and female images in both traditional and modern artistic images. It is concluded that national traditions and mentality are of great importance for the evaluation of Japanese mythological images, despite the historical period of time. Of particular importance is the perception of female images in kawaii, due to the aesthetic and religious foundations of Japanese society, given that the myth is firmly embedded in popular culture. It is emphasized that the kawaii culture is an independent aesthetic phenomenon.

Keywords: artistic images, nekomata, bakeneko, woman, cat, ukiyo-e, painting, kawai, Japanese mythology, popular culture

Review: The subject of the study is the analysis of ways to restore the ornamental techniques of the Lukutinsky lacquer miniature craft, lost by the end of the XIX century and recreated during the Soviet period. The article examines the activity of miniature artists of the Fedoskinsky Labor artel - the successor of the Lukutinsky enterprise – to revive forgotten technologies for creating ornaments on lacquer products. Special attention is paid to the assistance in this process provided to the fishery by the Soviet state. The purpose of the article is to show the significant role of state support in the development of Russian folk art of the Soviet period by the example of a successful solution to the problem of restoring the lost ornamental techniques of the Fedoskinsky craft.   Using comparative-historical, historical-typological, as well as historical-genetic methods, the author characterizes various ornamental techniques of Lukutinsky products, comparing them with the features of Fedoskinsky products of the twentieth century. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the analysis of the activities of the experimental laboratory at the Fedoskin labor artel, which restored the ornamental techniques of the Lukutin miniature, as well as the contribution made to this process by Fedoskin masters M. S. Chizhov, V. V. Korsakov, S. N. Tardasov. The main conclusion of the article is the statement of the importance of studying these fishing techniques for understanding the reasons for the flourishing of ornamental motifs in Fedoskinsky products in the late Soviet period, as well as the present.

Keywords: Fedoskino, Fedoskino lacquer miniatures, Russian lacquer miniatures, folk art crafts, Russian folk art, Soviet state, Lukutin miniatures, applied art, mother of pearl, Fedoskino Lavor artel

Review: The article chronologically presents historical information about the modernization of Belarusian cymbals in the context of the fate of innovators. The problem of transition to an industrial society is raised on the example of the production of cymbals and gender changes in the field of cymbal art. The influence of the socio-political environment on cultural processes in society is investigated. The origins of the quality problem of the Belarusian musical instrument cymbal are analyzed. The problem of professional education of masters of musical instruments, in particular, masters of manufacturers of the Belarusian folk instrument cymbals, is raised. The article examines the experience of other countries in training masters and conducting professional skill contests among musical instrument manufacturers. Previously unknown archival documents revealing tragic secrets, white spots of the biographies of Zhinovich and Sushkevich have been studied. The dogma about the merits of Joseph Zhinovich, well-established in the circle of specialists, is being questioned. It is concluded that the first stage of the modernization of cymbals is revolutionary, much more significant than the subsequent refinement. Historical justice is being restored in relation to the authors of the first stage of modernization – Zakhar and Sushkevich. For the first time, the focus of the study shifts from the cymbalists of teachers, performers, repertoire, teaching methods to the quality of instruments and the education of masters. It is proposed to adopt the experience of neighboring countries in holding competitions for masters who make cymbals in order to improve the quality of the instrument.

Keywords: Iosif Zhinovich, Konstantin Sushkevich, Dmitrii Zakhar, Vladimir Kraiko, hummered dulcimer (cimbalom), dulcimer player (cimbalom player), modernization, Belarusian culture, musical instruments master, musical instruments production