The Image of a Man of Art in the Cinema of 1950–1990: the Experience of Typological Interpretation

The study is aimed at the development of a classification of character archetypes representing creative professionals in cinematic works of national (Soviet and Russian) and foreign (European and American) production. Particular emphasis was placed on identifying key vectors for applying the proposed classification model within the context of contemporary media communication realities. 44 domestic and foreign feature films, which most vividly depict the artistic image of a creative professional, were selected and analyzed; materials from scholarly research by art critics, cultural studies scholars, and film studies scholars were utilized. The methodology is represented by a systemic approach, which is applied in developing the theoretical foundations of the research and for solving applied tasks. Observation and content analysis methods were also employed. Within the research aspect, key concepts (“self-esteem”, “conflict”, “creative personality”, etc.) were characterized. Expressive means used to form the image of the creative professional and demonstrate their personal self-esteem (appearance, nonverbal signals, internal monologue, etc.) were identified and briefly described. Foundations for classifying films about creative professionals (degree of documentary style, country of production, time of creation, genre, etc.) were developed. Based on this classification, a system of criteria for selecting films for the empirical research was formed, and cinematographic works meeting these criteria were identified. For the psychological analysis of the artistic image of the creative professional in cinema, a specialized instrument was created – a diagnostic chart of creative professional archetypes. The list of these archetypes in the diagnostic chart is differentiated according to their external and internal behavioral characteristics. Such characterization is provided for each archetype based on parameters observable within the film. The definition of film character characteristics allowed for the identification of the most frequently used archetypes of the creative professional image (“contemporary star”, “overrated star”, “craftsman”, “upstart”). The author contends that identifying archetypes of creative professionals in cinematography can influence the current situation in the public information space. Through it, the consequences of permissiveness and inflated self-esteem among prominent creative professionals can be demonstrated, and models of behavior for a creative personality in conflict with oneself and with society can be characterized.