Reading of Lionginas Šepetys’ monograph "Modernizmo metmenys" (Drafting Modernism) in the context of ideological discourse and Soviet art theory

The article suggests the reading of two editions of Lionginas Šepetys’ monograph "Modernizmo metmenys" (Drafting Modernism) as a text combining the discourses of art theory and ideology. The critical discourse analysis method was used in the reading, and it was based on researches of Soviet ideological texts by Alexei Yurchak and Françoise Thom. The first edition of 1967 was published at the time when Soviet art theory was beginning theorising a more moderate relation between Marxist aesthetics and modernism, while the second expanded edition of 1982 was published when said theoretical discourse had already reached an impasse and was looking for new points of view. Being a professional and elaborate view on art history, the text exists in the context of ideological discourse and uses the means of expression formed in it. There are a lot of ambiguities left in the evaluative statements, the target reader is not defined, official, academic and literary tones are used in the text, and intertextuality becomes evident in the second edition. A goal to put the monograph in both the context of (Western) art theory and history and the context of socialist ideology is also more evident in the second edition. From the standpoint of value it seems impossible, but due to customary unclear, metaphorical and polysemantic evaluations in the Soviet authoritative discourse this monography was seen as appropriate for publication and became an important part of discourse on modernism in the context of art history and theory and ideology