In the article, the authors take a cultural approach to the process of evolution of communication in the postmodern era. Using the method of comparative analysis, the article compares classical theories of communication and their transformation in the sociocultural space of our time. The authors use the works of postmodern researchers on this issue and trace in them those essential contradictions that lead to the depersonalization of the communication process itself. This approach determines both the relevance and scientific novelty of the article, since the very problem of communication in the postmodern information society is, on the one hand, discursive and contradictory in nature, and on the other, requires cultural scientific justification. The comparison of communication paradigms in the domestic and Western European traditions, the contradiction of these concepts, seems fruitful. The very definition of postmodernity as a constantly emerging phenomenon in history, as opposed to considering it as an independently evolving phenomenon (“post-postmodern”, “metamodern”, etc.), also deserves attention. The article provides a comparative analysis of the mentioned concepts of Western cultural scientists. The authors’ conclusion that such a substitution of concepts is inherent in postmodern consciousness in general, and currently in the process of de-theorizing humanities knowledge in particular, logically follows from the research conducted. The article is addressed to both culturologists and a wide range of interested researchers of the phenomenon of communication.

Mikhail K. Naidenko, Elizaveta A. Naidenko

Over the past decades, many studies have been carried out on children's drawings of the Great Patriotic War, most of them were dedicated to the memorable dates of the Great Patriotic War and devoted to the topic of preserving historical memory. The relevance of this study lies in the insufficient development of the topic of children's drawings of war from the point of view of the problem field of art criticism. Methods of art historical analysis make it possible to fill the gap and show the process of creating artistic images of children's war drawings to be more complex than it appears when using other scientific methods. The purpose of the study is to study the semantic features of children's drawings of war with Christian symbols. The author focuses on Christian symbols, dates and conditions for creating the drawings, and their existence. Using the example of the transformation of Christian symbols, the author shows possible algorithms for studying the semantics of children's drawings created in military conditions. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that children's drawings from the 1940s are presented for the first time. with Christian symbols, the role of children's drawings as a carrier of information about the artistic and creative process of children during the Great Patriotic War is determined, the importance of children's drawings as a mechanism of continuity is shown. The study uses a historical approach, which is combined with a formal-stylistic method of interpreting children's drawings and an iconographic method. Christian symbolism in children's drawings manifests itself in different ways, both indirectly and directly, but in general its use is spontaneous. Christian symbols in children's drawings do not indicate the religiosity of their authors. The process of forming artistic images took place with the participation of adult mentors in the conditions of anti-religious Soviet propaganda. In this connection, it follows that Christian symbols are undergoing a significant transformation. Despite the fact that the religious aspect is excluded from the artistic process, children's drawings demonstrate an effective mechanism for transmitting accumulated cultural, historical and artistic experience. Art historians still have a lot of work to do, on the one hand, to take a different look at the memorial function of children’s war drawings, on the other hand, to come closer to understanding the artistic and historical value of children’s drawings and their specificity in historical and visual contexts.

Oksana V. Khukhrina

The article examines issues related to the relationship between culture and mythology in cultural studies. Through the symbolic concept of cultural genesis, the formation of meaning-forming mythologies that influence stereotypes of meaning formation is shown. The mechanics of perception of reality by a person of culture is considered in its connection with the dynamics of mythology. The conceptual constructions of researchers connecting the themes of mythology and mythologization with the foundations of worldview and conscious reflection, such as F.V. Schelling, E. Durkheim, L. Levy-Bruhl, B. Malinovsky, J. Sorel, E. Cassirer, R. Barthes, C. Lévi-Strauss. The article also devotes space to studying the influence of mythology on the formation of neuroses, as consequences of cultural influence on human consciousness. A special place in the article is given to the mechanism of interdependence of the act of perception and the activity of internal mental structures, in their connection with the forms of social consciousness. The form of human existence in culture is considered through a situation when the utilitarian use of material begins to be combined with its sign function, in the process of which a picture of the world and the meaning of existence begin to appear. The development of this form of existence is considered in its dynamics –  from archaic mythology to modern mythological paradigms. Based on the material presented, it is concluded that when researching in the field of the internal side of culture, it is necessary to take into account the schematics of human conceptualization of reality.

Sergei V. Kudryashov

The article considers the musical traditions of the South Urals in the context of common and special on the historical material. Based on the methodology "region through cities", the author considers Magnitogorsk as a type of industrial single-industry town characteristic of the region. Specific features of the mentality of the South Urals areal are conditioned by a highly specialized economy, concentration of urban life around the city-forming enterprise and secondary interest in artistic culture. The article shows that in the existing historical and cultural circumstances there is a lack of musical traditions and, at the same time, their forced formation. It is postulated that the simultaneous construction of the city in the material and artistic senses, which determined the specific relationship between urban society and art. The author finds a correlation between the mono-specificity of the city and its musical culture. In his opinion, the mono-city identity paradoxically allows to make music a generally accessible, rather than segmented type of leisure activity, since the cohesion of urban society makes any event a city-wide event. The author shows the contiguity and autonomy of the traditions of amateur and professional creativity, which feed each other, but do not directly determine each other. The author pays special attention to musical and educational institutions, showing the history of their formation and their important role in the development of the musical space of the region. The author concludes that the musical and educational institutions of the region are the most important for the development of music in the region. The conclusion is that musical traditions provide the South Urals with the image of a Eurasian platform of musical life and the potential for development based on modern cultural strategies.

Galina E. Gun

The article highlights the history of the revival of opera based on the biblical plot in the French musical theater of the early 19th century. Special attention is paid to the socio-political context of the period of the Great Bourgeois Revolution (1789–1799), which plunged the country into atheistic views. Thus, the author examines the reasons that provoked the persecution of Christianity and the prohibition of worship, identifies the factors that contributed to the formation of the so-called “religion of patriotism”, highlights the repertoire of the opera house, reflecting the revolutionary aspirations of that time. The author analyzes the activities of Napoleon Bonaparte related to the restoration of Catholicism in official rights. The work notes that the signing of the Concordat contributed to the active support of Napoleon and giving him a special status – church leaders saw the consul and the emperor as a messenger of God sent to save France from “wickedness”. The author also reveals Napoleon's attitude to the staging of the plots of the Holy Scriptures in the opera house. The article provides an overview of opera compositions on biblical themes created during the reign of Napoleon – these are the operas “Joseph in Egypt” by E. Megulya, “The Death of Adam” by J. Lesueur, “The Death of Abel” by R. Kreutzer and “The Oath of Jephthah” by J. Meyerbeer. The author provides information about the premiere staging of works, analyzes the interpretation of Old Testament plots and the genre designation of operas used by the author. In conclusion, conclusions are drawn about the features of these works and their anticipation of the principles of lyrical opera.

Olesya S. Mikhaylova

The article is devoted to the consideration of improvisation as the main constant of modern jazz art. Despite the changing functions and views associated with the phenomenon of improvisation, it is identified in almost every jazz composition, acting as a core element of the individual performing style of musicians. The key idea is the need to study the phenomenon of improvisation in the historical dynamics of the development of jazz styles. Special consideration is given to the actual works of domestic and foreign researchers, revealing the content specifics and structural features of both the basic and advanced functionality of the construction of an improvisational utterance. According to the author, improvisation is one of the foundations of jazz performance, the analysis of which provides opportunities for detailed disclosure of individual styles of jazz musicians. Artistic transformations affecting the semantics and structurality of improvisation are dictated by the general evolution of jazz styles and trends. The changes in the functions of thematic and improvisational material traced in jazz performance in the second half of the XX – beginning of the XXI centuries indicate the process of evolution of views and artistic representations of the professional jazz environment. The comparative element of the article is based on the study of interpretations of J. Gershwin's theme «Summertime», diverse in their aesthetic meaning, made by performers belonging to significant periods of jazz history. The analysis of these interpretations also confirms the important influence of improvisation on the evolution of jazz composition.

Elena V. Lubyanaya