Reading is seen as an activity of consciousness, since it is only through consciousness that the reader comprehends and understands the text. The main thesis of this article is the following: the application of a phenomenological approach expands and deepens the boundaries of the direct experience of reading research. The specific conceptual apparatus of phenomenological analysis reflects the inseparable nature of the Consciousness-World dyad or the Self-Other-World triad. The focus is on the interrelationships between the reader and their lifeworld, and therefore, such concepts as “phenomenon”, “intentionality”, “lifeworld”, “natural attitude”, “phenomenological reduction”, and “biographically determined situation” become analytical tools.

The Consciousness-World dyad defines the ontological and epistemological aspects of the study. The epistemological aspect is actualized by the question “What are the ways of understanding reading?”, which constitutes two modes of this phenomenon—that of the respondent/reader and that of the researcher studying reading. While the respondent draws on their own “biographically determined lifeworld situation”, the researcher’s perspective is shaped by theoretical constructs accepted in science. This article attempts to systematize existing definitions of reading according to four semantic types: procedural, communicative, semiotic, and praxeological.

From an ontological perspective, the object of study is the reader’s “lifeworld”, shaped by the intersubjective world of everyday life in a local community, where a group of people share similar interests, goals, and habits and live in their natural environment.

The article is devoted to semiotic knowledge in the structure of the domestic Library and Bibliographic Classification (LBC). Having originated as a sign system in linguistics, semiotics has gone the way of integrating natural science, humanitarian and technical knowledge and has now become the subject of interest of most scientific disciplines. As a science of sign systems, semiotics does not exist outside the influence and relationship with different branches of knowledge.

The universal national classification system presents a full-fledged picture of the state of science, whose interests lie in the plane of various areas of human activity, nature and social reality. It presents the semiotic component of many areas of knowledge, since today signs and sign systems are studied at the “junction” of linguistics with mathematics, cybernetics and other sciences, which contributes to the transformation of semiotics from a purely linguistic science into an interdisciplinary one under the influence of global trends in the integration of scientific research.

In the department “1 Interdisciplinary knowledge” in the Medium tables of the LBC, the section “Semiotics” is also intended for literature of a complex nature, which gives the topic of sign systems of several areas of knowledge and practical activity, which corresponds to the current state of science.

The article tells about the evolution of semiotics within the framework of linguistics, about the role in its formation of domestic and foreign linguistic schools, the transformation of semiotic science into an interdisciplinary field of study, about modern directions of development and representation in the Library and Bibliographic Classification.

The relevance of this article stems from the subject matter of the paintings and graphic works under consideration. It is imperative to examine the work of artists of the 1930s in the context of the creation of the image of one of the most important transportation and artistic projects of the time — the Moscow Metro. It is also worth mentioning one of the trends in modern urban development — the prioritization of public transport over private one. This is a global practice. Accordingly, the study of artistic material related to the capital’s underground transport, as well as the images created by artists of the past, is highly relevant.

The Moscow Metro has rarely been examined by researchers in the context of artistic works not related to architecture. The author believes this gap must be filled. The main focus of the article is the composition of the shock brigades of artists during the construction of the first phase of the Moscow Metro and the results of their work. The work of many famous Russian artists of the 20th century who addressed the theme of metro construction is analyzed: Alexander Labas, Alexander Samokhvalov, Fyodor Bogorodsky, Konstantin Istomin, as well as the Western artist Albert Abramovich. The works of artists whose names are undeservedly forgotten today are examined: Albert Abramovich and Boris Zenkevich.

This article is the first to consider the history of the Lord’s Prayer iconography in Russian art of the first third of the 18th century. It is represented by frescoes of the western porch of the Church of Elijah the Prophet (Yaroslavl, c. 1715), the southern and western walls of the Church of Our Lady Fedorovskaya (Yaroslavl, 1715—1716), the altar of the Church of St. John the Baptist in Roschene (Vologda, 1717) and the southern wall of the Church of St. John Chrysostom in Korovniki (Yaroslavl, 1732—1733). Adjoining these monuments is the Lord’s Prayer fresco in the porch of the Church of St. Nikolas the Wet (Yaroslavl), the creation of which should probably be attributed to the middle to the second half of the 18th century. An analysis of their iconography suggests that its origins are rooted in a tradition that developed as early as the 17th century. The works continued to feature images borrowed in Russian art from a series of engravings of the Pater Noster of the Piscator’s Bible, executed after drawings by the Netherlandish painter Maerten van Heemskerk (1498—1574). The frescoes of the Church of St. John the Baptist in Vologda stand somewhat apart. They are notable for their unusual arrangement and interpretation of individual compositions, somewhat similar to those on a late 17th century Russian engraving of the Lord’s Prayer attributed to Leonty Bunin. The predominant use of the Lord’s Prayer subject in mural at this stage testifies to the primacy of church wall paintings in the process of spreading compositions borrowed from foreign illuminated printed books, as well as to the deep interest in complex edifying themes in art.

The culture of modern social communication in the information society includes a dialogue of cultures. Intercultural interaction involves mutual exchange and enrichment of cultural meanings for all participants in international communication. Lexicographic sources are the recorders of linguistic cultural heritage and the acquired cultural experience of intercultural interaction. The problems of periodic lexicography of cultural concepts, the need for further development of cultural dictionaries and thesauri, continuation of the traditions of domestic lexicography, analysis of multifaceted linguacultural information remain relevant. New national and cultural situations are recorded in the four-language thesaurus created by the authors aiming to preserve and pass on to future generations of the information society our rich cultural heritage, imprinted in culturonyms. To analyze cultural concepts, the method of included observation, a comprehensive comparative analysis of the culture of publishing dictionaries and thesauri, and high-quality data processing were used. When constructing the design of the dictionary entry, the method of descriptive and lexicographic analysis of dictionaries and thesauri, the heuristic method were used. The new thing in the creation of the thesaurus is the inclusion by the authors of cultural and translation comments in the dictionary entry, a separate part of the entry “for translation and commentary” as a heuristic dialogue. The authors attach great importance to the art of conveying the meanings of cultural words of the Russian, English (British and American versions), Belarusian, and French languages. The thesaurus is based on the principles of active lexicography, in which cultural meanings are seen as keys to these languages. The authors analyzed different types of domestic and foreign dictionaries and thesauri for traditions and methods of lexicography of linguistic and cultural information. The result of the study was the creation of a thesaurus, a specialized translation publication that included value cultural concepts of the Anglo-Saxon and East Slavic cultures, and French cultures. The translated thesaurus of cultural names and realia will serve as a motivational resource for promoting the study of Russian as a foreign language for representatives of other cultures.

This article draws attention to the use of wax sculptures not only as models for subsequent metal casting but also as independent, finished works with their own artistic value. They were exhibited at art exhibitions, found in the collections of lovers of chamber sculpture, could be given as gifts, and had their own market turnover. In this regard, the prices of some works by sculptors E.A. Lanceray and M.F. Shokhin, who presented their works at Annual Art Exhibitions at the Imperial Academy of Arts, are presented.

Information on a number of wax sculptures by E.A. Lanceray from private collections, as well as on some of their owners, is contained in the archive of N.P. Sobko, the memoirs of the artist M.L. Zhemchuzhnikov, the publisher of the journal Pictorial Review P.N. Polevoy, and the Indexes for Art Exhibitions at the Imperial Academy of Arts.

Wax sculptures could be presented as gifts to both the monarch and members of the imperial family. This article provides historical information clarifying M.A. Ber’s recollection of the presentation of E.A. Lanceray’s sculpture Troika with a Broken Cart Wheel, executed in white wax (1866, State Tretyakov Gallery), to the future Emperor Alexander III.

Documents preserved in the archives reveal the circumstances of the presentation of the wax composition At the Watering Place (sculptor V.Ya. Grachev) to Emperor Alexander III on May 2, 1885, during his visit to the Crafts Exhibition in St. Petersburg. It is believed that V.Ya. Grachev participated in the exhibition of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of ArtArts with this wax sculpture (but entitled Kakhetian Women at the Watering Place) the previous year, in 1884. The author of this article also believes that the work has a double borrowing: the theme of “mountain women with horses by a pond” was borrowed by V.Ya. Grachev from the artist N.P. Karazin (a drawing of Turkmen Women Bathing Horses, 1876), and the compositional structure was borrowed from the sculptor E.A. Lanceray (a bronze group of Don Cossack Foragers, 1878, State Russian Museum).

This article explores the religious aspects of the work of artists from the Blue Rose group (Moscow, 1907), representing the second generation of Russian Symbolism. The aim of the work is to analyze the specific nature of the sacred in their artistic practice and to identify its connection with the innovative approach to material and technique that emerged in the intellectual and artistic milieu of the Silver Age. It is argued that for the Blue Rose group, the sacralization and spiritualization of artistic materials became one of the creative principles. Primary attention is paid to the influence of Old Russian iconography on the aesthetics and symbolic language of the Blue Rose group. It is demonstrated that religious themes are realized not only through plot and paraphernalia, but primarily through a metaphysical understanding of the artistic material itself and the synthesis of spiritual and physical principles in the act of creation. Using works by key members of the movement (P.V. Kuznetsov, P.S. Utkin, A.V. Fonvizin, and others), this article reveals their characteristic non-canonical interpretation of religious motifs, demonstrating a desire for a spiritual and mystical understanding of the world through art. The article emphasizes the Blue Rose’s innovative transformation of the sacred in turn-of-the-century art. Finally, the significance of their artistic practice for the subsequent development of Russian Symbolism and the 20th-century avant-garde is substantiated, embodying the special ontological status of artistic material as a vehicle for the transcendental.

The study of megalithic art is greatly complicated by its antiquity and lack of data for research. The unprovability of any theories about the origin of megaliths, as well as the motives and artistic goals of their creators, creates an almost insurmountable barrier to the interaction of the modern viewer with these monuments. This paper proposes a research approach that actualizes the value of megalithic art for the modern artistic process and partially overcomes the problem of unknowability. It is based on the direct visual experience of meeting megaliths, which makes it possible to interpret them through a system of fundamental categories of aesthetic perception known today.

The study provides a look at the stone monuments of the past through the prism of modern aesthetics. In the logic of formal analysis, the objects under consideration are compared with abstract compositions of the 20th—21st centuries in order to determine the fundamental properties of a large-scale, fascinating artistic image; for this purpose, their common expressive means and features are highlighted. The accumulated visual experience contributes to the interpretation of megaliths within the framework of the modern artistic process. In the course of the work, actual expressive techniques and solutions appear in the photographic images, which are not noticeable outside the modern context. In an alternative way, this brings the viewer’s consciousness closer to ancient art, allowing them to actualize and rethink its legacy for the current generation. Although the problem of the original, historical and genetic interpretation of megaliths remains open, work with universal categories of aesthetics establishes some models of perception of ancient artifacts that allow us to bridge the time gap in modern consciousness.

M.M. Bakhtin’s personality and work continue to amaze us with their uniqueness, and an appreciation of the Russian thinker’s multifaceted nature allows us to clarify and elaborate on his significance in Russian humanities thought. In 2019, the first issue of the scholarly online journal “Bakhtin Bulletin” was published. It began to take shape through creative connections and collaboration with scholars from many countries. This dialogic communication (“cooperation”, according to M.M. Bakhtin) within the scholarly community defined the mission of “Bakhtin Bulletin” and necessitated the recording of reports, speeches, theses, conversations, and remarks. These can be divided into two areas: Bakhtin studies and Bakhtinistics, as well as subsections reflecting different types of textual spaces.

The purpose of this article is to substantiate these two concepts: “Bakhtin studies” and “Bakhtinistics”, which are often used interchangeably. While a correlation is certainly possible between them, the grounds for distinguishing and understanding them are substantial: their specific nature requires research into the issues involved in Bakhtin studies (analysis of the scholar’s creativity, thinking, ideas, new meanings, and concepts) and Bakhtin studies (the study of his life). The research’s novelty lies in its examination of Saransk Bakhtin studies (a newly introduced concept), which is exceptionally rich in the recollections of people who lived in this city at the same time as Bakhtin, worked with him, and interacted with him. The article presents the results of a study of Bakhtin’s academic biography through the prism of life in Saransk (1936-1937; 1945-1969 — almost a quarter of a century) through an analysis of archival materials, published notes, reflections, ideas, and, most importantly, recorded conversations with those who could still share living memories. This material is actively published in the Bakhtin Bulletin, thereby deepening the scholarly biography of the thinker and stimulating research interest.

In the late 16th century, the Chinese writer Luo Maodeng wrote a novel dedicated to the greatest event in medieval China—Zheng He’s voyage across the Indian Ocean. This book was first translated into Russian in 2023. The article explores the reasons why commemorative social practices have developed in contemporary Chinese society, aimed at reviving and preserving in collective memory the story of the voyages of the 15th-century eunuch Zheng He. However, before exploring the goals of commemoration, it is necessary to understand why this event was forgotten in the medieval era, and why Zheng He’s name was forgotten. The article attempts to compare two opposing, but correlated, phenomena: the passive forgetting of a historical event (a destructive practice) and the active revival and memorialization of the same event within the context of a newly constructed (recreated) historical paradigm. This approach seeks to provide a more complete understanding of the nature of commemoration. Zheng He’s maritime expeditions are renowned for their scale. The unprecedented scale of the expedition (seven ocean voyages were made on several ships of the imperial navy) demonstrated the military and economic might of the ruling Ming dynasty. Modern study of Zheng He’s voyages is hampered by the destruction of numerous archival documents during the ancient period of Chinese history. The article examines the reasons for the burning of numerous testimonies from expedition participants that documented the history of the maritime expedition. By reinterpreting the narrative surrounding the maritime exploration of Zheng He’s expeditions, China seeks to exert greater influence on the international community while simultaneously strengthening its own people’s sense of identity and national pride, laying the foundations for China’s emergence as a powerful maritime power.

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