The article is devoted to the consideration of historical and cultural prerequisites of modern ideas about the “improvement” of human beings. Analyzing the worldview and theoretical aspects of the transhumanist discourse, the authors note that the origins of the ideological platform of the project of improving human nature are contained in the depths of modern philosophy. The aspirations to remake nature by subjugating it gave rise to ideas about the fundamental possibility of extending rational creative activity to the human being himself, about turning him into an object of scientific design and transformation. The authors focus on the philosophical heritage of F. Bacon and R. Descartes. It is noted that, being expressors of advanced views of their epoch, the thinkers in many respects prepared a platform for the formation and development of ideas about the omnipotence of scientific and technological progress and to a certain extent anticipated the subject of scientific research and high-tech inventions of 20th – 21st centuries. The ideas of Bacon and Descartes about the progress of medical science, the possibility of improving human nature (increasing life expectancy, increasing mental abilities, treatment of diseases previously considered incurable), the problems of euthanasia, the creation of anthropomorphic mechanisms, etc. are considered. It is shown that the brilliant minds of that era, having the ability to look into the distant future of science and technology, were able to a certain extent to foresee some directions of their development related to the creation of the techno sphere and the potential for “technical” human improvement. F. Bacon and R. Descartes are spokesmen for the ideas that, several centuries later, influenced the formation of transhumanist concepts linking the prospects of man with the technogenic change of his natural-biological basis. Their projects of “realizing everything possible” (meaning the use of science to achieve human domination over nature) still serve as a source of inspiration for men of science and technocrats. In recent decades, these ideas have acquired a new sound, a new impetus of development due to the opportunities offered by technoscience.

The article is devoted to the comprehension of tourism as an important tool for the preservation of cultural and historical heritage and the transmission of collective memory. Cultural and historical heritage (both tangible and intangible) is a factor in strengthening national identity and maintaining collective memory, being at the same time one of the main tourist resources that allow us to get in touch with history and culture. The study of the phenomenon of tourism from the perspective of memory studies clearly demonstrates that the direct visit of tourists to significant historical sites with a high level of symbolic capital contributes to a better perception of the images of the past embedded in them, and the impressions and experiences help not only to remember the information, but also to feel their own belonging to a certain culture. The example of sites important in the context of global and local history, such as the Battle of Stalingrad Museum-Reserve (Volgograd), the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum (Auschwitz) and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, shows how places of memory become popular tourist destinations without being overly commodified and commercialized. Consequently, a targeted approach to the positioning of cultural and historical sites and working with niche types of tourism that reflect the characteristics of specific places of memory provide an opportunity to develop tourism as one of the key forms of actualizing the past. This helps to attract a wide audience to learn about their history through interaction with authentic sites, rather than solely through entertainment media, and also reduces the risk of loss of cultural and historical heritage, which makes it possible to consider areas remote from major cultural centers as promising destinations.

The article deals with the problem of security of search in modern public computer-network resources of reliable, complete sources, their qualitative bibliographic description. The relevance is due to the “digital transformation”, the rapid spread of computer-network technologies since the 2010s to all sectors, as well as everyday life; a sharp and significant increase in the number and variety of electronic databases (libraries); turning the majority of humanity into daily active users. Objective international and national diseases of growth of standardization, streamlining, structuring of databases, development of indexing systems and search public network services, means of verification of electronic documents have manifested themselves.

Since 2014 and even later from 2022, the problem was exacerbated by the reduction of international cooperation in computer-network technologies, anti-Russian sanctions of unfriendly countries, violation of Russian legislation by global digital corporations, leapfrogging strengthening of cybercrime and information confrontation in the Internet. The possibilities of attackers who, by exploiting vulnerabilities, reduced the access of mass users to reliable electronic documents in cross-border Internet communications increased. The opportunities caused by the relativistic understanding of truth, fabrication and broadcasting of falsified information, fake news, disinformation, use of new means of “social engineering” (fraud, manipulation of consciousness) that threaten citizens and national interests of Russia have increased.

The novelty of the study lies in the integrated application of theoretical and cultural gnoseology (culture of cognition) and methodology of information security (countering deliberate attempts to mislead). The comparative analysis revealed significant differences between Russian state electronic libraries, document management systems, registers and services and non-state, as well as foreign public Internet resources and services. The result of the study is the conclusion about the importance of the prevalence of essential interests of mass users of Russian public libraries and electronic services. Recommendations on the preferability of applying this experience in the creation and modernization of Russian public non-state digital databases, libraries, services, as well as the development of standardization on its basis are formulated.

The main category of aesthetics — beauty is the focus of the study. Our epoch is a revision of some spiritual meanings both in the sphere of human life and in science and art. The aim of this paper is to derive a universal formula of beauty through the image of Venus on the basis of a comparative analysis of works of classical art, art of postmodernity, as well as to determine the possibilities of modern neural networks. Art of the 21st century is multifaceted, neuro-art is another of its aspects, artificial intelligence and Man of Art compete here. Neural network is a program built on the principle of organisation and functioning of nerve cells of a living organism. The neural network was tasked to represent the modern ideal of beauty in the image of Venus, similar to the way painters of previous epochs acted. Can modern neural networks create? Create spiritual values? Create beauty in art? In total, more than a thousand images were generated according to our requests, which allows us to draw certain conclusions about the representation of the image of Venus by artificial intelligence. An attempt to derive a formula of beauty for each period of art development and to find a universal one is presented. The modern understanding of beauty has absorbed all historical paradigms, but on a qualitative, essential level. Beauty is a subjective sensual perception of the appearance of an object that is capable of evoking positive emotions. It is not the beauty itself that is important, but the feeling of beauty. Beauty is the dominant value of being, which contains a harmonious combination of absolute values, what makes a person a Personality.

The article deals with the specifics of modern reinterpretation of mythological characters, as well as its representation in youth culture. Mythological subjects and their heroes remain attractive for the creative sphere for many centuries. For young people, immersion in mythology allows them to develop constructive solutions to many issues, to recreate a positive picture of the world through the eternal idea of the triumph of good and justice reflected in ancient texts. It is the reinterpretation approach to the reading of world-famous works that allows us to use a wide range of myth. For example, the interest in the myths of European society in the second half of the 20th century is due to the fact that this time is associated with the threat of the outbreak of nuclear war and, as a consequence, with constant uncertainty and the simultaneous desire of each person for a life-affirming and immutable basis, such as the classical one. The evolution of representations of myth in culture has led to the emergence of reinterpretations of the original source, making some of them popular, including with youth audiences.

In the 21st century, other mythological images have emerged in accordance with the challenges of the time, which we consider as cultural products of a new level, characterized not only by an appeal to the classical text, but also by a commercial component. The article provides several examples of how the new artistic presentation of mythological characters is reflected in modern mass youth culture — in literature, video games and cinema. The modern interpretation of the tales of ancient civilizations is based on the cultural preferences of mass viewers: the images of myths can be canonical or modernized, but in any case universal. The process of giving new meaning to myths familiar from the school days from an unexpected (nonclassical) side has been repeatedly discussed in the scientific cultural field.

The relevance of reinterpretation of mythological characters in youth culture is due to the desire of the new generation not only to rethink the cultural heritage, but also to get in touch with it.

Graduates of the portrait miniature class at the Imperial Academy of Arts, which operated for more than half a century, were many first-class miniaturists whose names are now, unfortunately, known only to specialists. By now, most leading museums have published their collections of portrait miniatures, but historically, none of the researchers have considered the study of the art market (and the miniatures of academician artists appearing on it) as an opportunity, firstly, to identify new works of miniature art, and secondly, to find out whether an artist’s academic education or title influences contemporary pricing and the interest of buyers (which can be private collectors or museums) in his works.

Nevertheless, it is the information on the functioning of the art market that provides data for more in-depth and comprehensive research. Thus, the sales index of a certain author much more clearly than numerous exhibitions can show its demand among art lovers. It should be noted that not all users of auction platforms are professional collectors. There are cases when personal exhibitions of artists did not contribute to the growth of interest in their work on the part of art collectors. There is also an opposite situation, when works by artists about whom only a rare researcher knows become a desiderata for many collectors. The present study expands the understanding of the place on the contemporary art market of Russian miniaturists associated with the Academy of Arts (its graduates and academicians), and makes it possible to fill in the gaps in the attribution and identification of the peculiarities of their works. It is concluded that there is no direct connection between the fact of studying at the Imperial Academy of Arts and the prices of their works, but the high artistic level of miniatures allows us to say that the title of academician was indeed given to the most worthy masters.

The article examines the creativity of women artists, which experienced an upsurge at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, associated with the removal of restrictions on their education at the Imperial Academy of Arts and the increasing need for self-realization in art. General tendencies are revealed, which do not concern the subject-technical side of the paintings, but allow us to draw generalizing conclusions about the artists’ thinking: self-determination and correlation of themselves with the creative environment, drawing attention to themselves as individuals. An attempt is made to understand the ways in which women were included in the full-fledged learning process as a group with its own socio-cultural characteristics.

The aim of the paper is to analyze the creative approach to self-portraiture of the female artists E.A. Kiseleva, E.K. Luksh-Makovskaya, O.L. Della-Vos-Kardovskaya, who started their professional path under one teacher — I.E. Repin. The relevance of the article lies in the attempt to raise the problem of studying women’s creativity in the creation of self-portraits, identifying its artistic specificity, defining the cultural and aesthetic basis.

The article focuses on the prerequisites for the formation of the creative method of female artists, based on the combination of individual and imitative. On the basis of consideration of the gallery of works the author develops a typology of female self-portrait: professional self-portrait, self-portrait-emotion, family self-portrait, self-portrait-image. It is traced how in the work of women-artists various artistic influences in Russia and Western Europe of the turn of the 19th—20th centuries, interpreted by them in their own way.

The article analyses the concept of visual complexity, highlighted by different researchers as a significant characteristic of contemporary visual communication and culture. The problem of ambiguity of the concept and its dependence on different objective and subjective factors and perception variables is posed. Formal categories and criteria for assessing visual complexity are defined, its stable patterns in the subject area of corporate identity —logo, are revealed. With the help of the identified categories visual complexity is analyzed through specific formal universal attributes that can be systematized, which makes it possible to answer the question of what makes a logo complex. The concept of complexity of corporate identity is meaningfully revealed from the point of view of designers — its direct developers, who determine the visual-graphic, constructive and plastic character of the brand logo. For the first time in the Russian-speaking scientific space, an empirical study of the position of professional designers regarding the significance of the proposed criteria was conducted. The quantitative survey method allowed objectifying the point of view of the professional audience: the data is characterized by stability in comparison with the data obtained from the general audience. Visual complexity is thus conceptualized and empirically operationalized without a gap between the theory and practice of visual communication. It is concluded that, as an expressive design tool, visual complexity is a positive characteristic in contemporary media communication.

The article is devoted to the study of the creative heritage of Nikolai Mikhailovich Kochergin (1897—1974) in the field of illustrating Chinese fairy tales. The relevance of the topic is conditioned by the insufficient degree of study of the artist’s heritage in this area with the general interest of practitioners and art theorists in book illustration for children’s literature in the 20th century.

The aim of the article is to theoretically comprehend the artistic heritage of N.M. Kochergin on the basis of revealing the originality of the artist’s creative method of illustrating Chinese fairy tales. The following tasks are solved: to trace the creative path of N.M. Kochergin, in particular, his work in the field of illustrating literature of Eastern and Asian countries; to make a list of illustrated editions of Asian fairy tales by the artist; to reveal the influence of traditions of Chinese Gohua art on the artist’s work, specifically to study the compositional solution, the use of diffused perspective, other expressive means; to analyze the methods of stylization of images and symbols of Chinese culture and folklore in illustrations.

The presented research allows not only to determine the originality of N.M. Kochergin’s creative method of illustrating Chinese fairy tales, but also to identify the specificity of representation of Chinese culture for Russian readers. This problematic can contribute to the emergence of a holistic view of the synthesis and integration of Chinese art and culture in the Russian and world artistic process. The article studies illustrations by N.M. Kochergin for such editions of Asian fairy tales as “Chinese Folk Tales” (1953), “Ten Little Friends” (1954), “The Yellow Stork and the Mountain of the Sun” (1954), “The Liu Brothers” (1955), “Persistent Yun Su” (1955), “Fairy Tales of the Peoples of Asia” (1959).

The Moscow Palace of Pioneers on the Vorobyovy Gory — an architectural monument of Soviet modernism, the most successful and recognizable building of the Thaw period — can be found in many Soviet and Russian films: “The Tale of Lost Time”, “Gimme the Book of Complaints”, “Moscow — Cassiopeia”, “The Way to the Concert”, “Afonya”, “Dangerous Age”, “Nina”, “Legend No. 17”, “Thaw”, “Lyudmila Gurchenko”, “The Optimists” and others. The article reviews filming locations of feature and documentary films, identifies the main locations of the director’s groups, parallels and comparisons of perspectives in cinema with contemporary reality. The reasons for the director’s choice of certain halls, auditoriums, and spaces are analyzed; changes in the role and functionality of the spaces are identified; and the connection with the plot is traced. It is shown how, thanks to the artistic language of cinema, the directors change the function of buildings and spaces: the seventh building becomes an airport, the winter garden becomes a billiard room, classrooms become editorial offices, the theatre hall becomes a meeting place for diplomats. Some films depict unique interiors of the Palace, panels and mosaics, while in other films the directors were interested in innovative objects and angles that were not clearly linked to the pioneer theme. Many of the reviewed films contain a pedagogical component: they teach to value time (The Tale of Lost Time), to dream (Moscow is My Love), to set high goals (Moscow — Cassiopeia), to keep one’s word (Thaw), to succeed (Legend No. 17, Lyudmila Gurchenko), to seek the right path in life (Afonya), to be a patriot (The Optimists). Documentary films about the Moscow Palace of Pioneers are a vivid example of successful organisation of the educational process. The article may be interesting and useful to researchers of the spheres of culture, cinema, art, history and education, residents and guests of the capital and everyone who is interested in the history of the Moscow Palace of Pioneers. The materials of the research are also of practical value and can be used by tour guides, teachers, methodologists and teachers.

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