Ru
EnA. Komarova, A. Slobodchikova
Artistic counterpoint as a structural and semantic concept in the 20th–21st centuries art
The article explores the transformation of artistic counterpoint as a formal and semantic structure (concept) in the context of postmodern culture, with a focus on intertextuality (dialogism). The concept of artistic counterpoint is linked to the musical term punctum contra punctum – “note opposite note” – which denotes the simultaneous combination of two or more independent melodic voices, as well as to the foundational meaning-forming concept of intertextuality (dialogism) in culture, developed in the works of M. Bakhtin, D. Likhachev, J. Kristeva, R. Barthes, J. Derrida, and others. Building on T. Frantova’s classification, which identifies intra-textual, polytextual, and intertextual counterpoint, the authors of this study introduce two new types: continuous intra-textual counterpoint and hybrid (individualized) counterpoint. These additions are informed by an analysis of contemporary artistic practices in music, cinema, and digital media. In musical practice (A. Schnittke, J. Cage, K. Stockhausen), artistic counterpoint manifests through intertextual clashes/dialogues between historical styles and technologies: from dodecaphonic clusters in Concerto Grosso No. 1 to the algorithmic polyphony of Aphex Twin. In cinema (S. Eisenstein, A. Resnais, L. von Trier, P. Greenaway), it is realized through sound-visual counterpoint, montage, and poly-screen techniques. These methods construct a “third meaning” at the “junction of voices” intensifying the dynamics and tension of on-screen action. In contemporary digital media, counterpoint can serve as a tool for creating immersive spaces where sound and image form a multidimensional semiotic landscape. It also functions as an instrument of mass communication and information density, fulfilling manipulative and entertainment roles (in advertising, streaming, “brainrot” media content, and mass theatrical performances such as concerts and shows).
Key words
culture of postmodernity age, artistic counterpoint, intra-textual and poly-textual counterpoint, intertextuality, poly-stylistics, audiovisual counterpoint, media text, audiovisual synthesis.
For citation
Komarova A., Slobodchikova A. Artistic counterpoint as a structural and semantic concept in the 20th–21st centuries art. In: South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2025. No. 2. Pp. 52–60.
