Historiographical landmarks in the axiology of the art of Moldovan book graphics of the period of 1945—2010s

Until now, the values of the Moldavian book graphics of the period of 1945—2010s have been little studied, the criteria for their analysis and evaluation have not been established, and methodological approaches in this area were incomplete and fragmented. We consider it necessary to recall the essence and relationship of some theoretical concepts related to the „artistic image”, „artistic value” and „aesthetic value”, as well as the concepts of „narrative” and „symbol” in the context of an axiological analysis of national book graphics. This investigation will allow us to study the features and possibilities of the axiological approach to the research of illustrations created by local graphic artists. Such characteristic features of the artistic image as narrative and symbol can be interpreted as separate directions or principles of book design. At the same time, previous investigations have shown that in the evolution of national book graphics, narrative and symbol have gone through various stages of approaches and interpretations. Even the degree of evaluation of works with these characteristics has not remained unchanged. Thus, it seems important to analyze these concepts in the context of the evolution of artistic and aesthetic values inherent in book illustration.