The Changing Language of Modern Art Criticism in the Russian Print Media in 1985-1999

In this paper the author describes the changes in the print media art criticism that took place in the late Soviet and the post-Soviet period. Within the framework of the given topic, the author have analyzed not only content of the press of that time which specializes on art, but also the texts of media intended for a general audience. The purpose of this study is to find out features used in press to construct the image of the so-called contemporary Russian art. The chosen research methods are analysis of content, semiotic and structural analyses, expert interview. The empirical basis of the study is the content of some magazines and newspapers that were published in the period from 1985 to 1999. The compilation of the press consists of several issues of Kommersant, Izvestia, Moscow Art Magazine, Segodnya, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Mesto Pechati, Iskusstvo. This selection could be explained by the considerable role these media had in the public life in that period. On the pages of issues of covered media considerable controversy occurred.