Dynamics of visual studies and a new discourse of artistic imagery

The article is devoted to the genesis and evolution of visual studies as certain forms of discourse in new and traditional areas of artistic culture. Conducting visual research was aimed at studying the functionality of visuality and visual images, their artistic, social and ideological potential. At the origins of visual research in the 60-70s of the twentieth century stood S. Alpers and M. Baksandall, who introduced the concept of «visual culture» into scientific circulation. The problem of the visual was solved within the framework of the «new history of art», which led to a change in the reception of works of art. Since the 80s of the XX century, visual studies have been characterized by the expansion of the conceptual apparatus, they have been held under the slogan of antipositivism using the theoretical arsenal of semiotics and linguistics, as well as psychoanalytic theory, cultural (visual) anthropology, results and methods accumulated in sociology, cultural studies . New technological possibilities are changing the cultural space, new types and genres of art are gaining popularity, as well as the mass production of images, regardless of their value. The search for the authenticity of social research leads to the fact that the methods and developments of visual research began to be widely used in post-colonial research, as well as in works devoted to gender issues. New forms and technical strategies for creating art, based on technological capabilities and ways of communication in the digital age, actualize visual research that reveals the possibilities of visual culture to form a new sociality in a post-capitalist society.