CONTEXT
- Man, expanding and realizing himself outside – in the space of technology – loses the transcendental horizon.
- Meanwhile, technology itself starts to seem transcendental: some deify it, others satanize it.
- The change in the status of technology actualizes the problem of virtuality, which allows us to distinguish two types of culture.
- Synthetic culture – generated by human activity in the course of “settling” in the world – is the source of “cold” virtuality.
- The modern type of culture, synthesized one, presupposes revolutionary, “hot” virtuality.
- Symptoms of the synthesized culture are confinement in a ghetto and delegation of one’s functions to technology, including artificial intelligence.
The article proposes a view of culture as a space requiring a certain “cybernetic foresight”, evolving with the development of means of technical reproducibility and helping us to orientate ourselves in the surrounding reality. It explores the classic theme of man and his expansion, resulting in a space of culture and technology — a world of exemplars and paradigms, a world of tools, doppelgangers, and human assistants. Relating oneself to this world is one of the main ways of human development, in the course of which a special virtual, i.e. force, energy field is created. On this basis, the system “man — culture” can be understood as a virtual reality. In this perspective, the life of an individual appears as a process of transformation, when he finds himself in correlation or even merging with the virtual image. At the same time, it is important for him to maintain a balance between the internal and the external in order to maintain himself as a subject of action. The paper conceptualizes the notions of synthetic and synthesized culture, and traces their relationship with “hot” and “cold” virtuality, in M. McLuhan’s terms. The type of culture that allows maintaining this balance is labelled as synthetic culture. When man “leaves” himself, forgetting himself in external activity, it loses its unity and becomes a culture synthesized from random, somewhat alien elements. In such a culture, the individual runs the risk of being replaced by his or her doppelgangers — machines, of ceasing to be the master of the house he or she has built, and even of being expelled from it. Attempts to get this home in many ways resemble ghettoization, inevitable confinement within the network space, which is a symptom of a synthesized culture with a “hot” level of virtuality.
CULTURAL REALITY
The problem of the national identity of representatives of academic creativity in relation to the national culture of small peoples is particularly relevant in the era of global economic and political globalization, and the development of criteria that allow to attribute such a representative to one or another national culture is a means of demarcating the “own” and “foreign” in the national cultural heritage.
The aim of the work is to determine the national-cultural belonging of the composer Peter Dmitrievich Petrov (born January 3, 1949) by studying his life and creative path. The research methods used are the biographical approach and methods of cultural-historical and ethno-cultural analysis as applied to musical art.
The novelty of the work consists in the consideration of the problems of cultural and national identity through the study of the biography of one of the outstanding Abkhaz composers — P.D. Petrov.
The main result of the research is the development of criteria that allow to attribute a cultural figure to one or another national culture regardless of his ethnic origin.
The results can be applied in cultural policy planning documents of countries and regions with a predominance of small ethnic groups, textbooks on cultural studies and art history as they relate to the problem of cultural and national identity, as well as comparative-typological studies of similar processes in other regions.
The conclusions of the work are that national art is not only a part of the heritage of individual ethnic groups, but represents in a sense a meta-culture existing in the space of the country. To be classified as a national culture, an art worker does not necessarily belong to the titular ethnos. On the example of the life and creative path of P.D. Petrov, a composer of Russian origin, it is shown that he can be recognized as an Abkhazian composer for his significant contribution to the national musical culture of Abkhazia.
IN SPACE OF ART AND CULTURAL LIFE
The article considers the communicative aspects of the results of the introduction of digital technologies in the practices of contemporary dance culture. Interdisciplinary experiments in the field of dance and technology, the tendency to enhance audiovisual effects in choreography and the departure from reality into virtual spaces reflect the complexity and contradictory nature of contemporary digital society. This confirms the need to apply cultural methodology to the study of the impact of digital technologies on contemporary dance practices.
The application of digital technologies in the field of professional choreography has led to transformations at different stages of the process of creating a choreographic work from the composition plan to the rehearsal process. The introduction of video mapping and interactive systems, VR-technologies allowed to reach a new level of artistic communication with the audience. Communication platforms, video hosting and social networks in the sphere of mass culture and leisure activities contribute to strengthening the communicative functions of dance practices. Smartphone applications and game programmes for dance education promote new forms of dance communication.
Interdisciplinary projects that bring together the art of choreography and technologies that function through the use of non-standard modes of input open up perspectives for research into the relationship between the digital and the real. The interactions between the dancer’s physical body and technological agents aim to find new forms of expression in dance. A number of experiments in choreography that use virtual environments and motion capture technologies aim to improve creative or training processes and to preserve cultural choreographic heritage.
As a result, the authors identify the main areas of potential for the application of digital technologies as a tool for adding audiovisual data to a dance or choreographic production, including by transforming the kinetic information obtained during the movement of the performer. It also increases the volume and quality of data in the transmission, accumulation and storage of information in the process of dance communication; it provides a new level of interaction between the spectator and the dancer or performers.
This article analyzes the “fragment citation” of paintings on fashion goods as a practice of appropriation. The relevance of the issue is to examine such copying through the prism of borrowing and put it into scientific discourse, as well as to consider the emerging trend towards a neutral approach to such practices, carried out through a dialogue between the parties involved. It is this form that can allow the fashion industry to work with art on a deeper level and create products with high symbolic value. Fashion and appropriation are considered as complex and multifaceted cultural concepts. The researchers propose several approaches to understand the close relationship between fashion and art, which show their historical context and development. Appropriation is also examined from several perspectives as cultural and artistic ones. The main difference between them is in the actors, understood as cultures or groups and authors. One example is the recent collaboration between the fashion brand Who Decides War, invited by H&M, and the Estate of J.-M. Basquiat. It is shown how this practice, used by fashion agents, builds the parallels between designers and artists, the differences in their work style, and the goals they set to increase the symbolic value of their products. Such parallels also indicate that fashion agents can resort to the practice of art appropriation, combining its cultural and artistic embodiment.
HERITAGE
The article describes the history of the vocal and instrumental chapel of the Zhirovichi Monastery in the 17th—18th centuries based on narrative and documentary sources. Narrative sources are five lists of manuscript obituaries of Basilian Monks from the second half of the 17th to the first third of the 18th century in Latin and Polish, which do not copy, but supplement information about each other. The most famous in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth churchmen, composers and regents of the first half of the 17th century who served in the monastery were Theodosius Borovik and Yelisey Ilkovsky. The analysis of the document has allowed us to identify a whole layer of regents, statute-makers and copyists of church books and notes, singers, instrumentalists who served in the monastery. The rotation of monks every four years from one monastery of the Basilian Order to another allowed them to constantly improve their skills as singers and instrumentalists, adopting the best practices. Documentary sources are inventories and visits carried out to Zhirovichi, containing inventories of books, sheet music and instruments of the choir of the Holy Dormition Cathedral. The repertoire was expanded by the inclusion of Latin rites — masses, nesphoras, litanies, as well as secular genres — arias and symphonies. For the first time the article contains a historical note “Zhirovitskaya Kapelle” with translation into Russian, which tells about the foundation of the instrumental chapel of the monastery in 1703. The analysis of the document showed that teaching to play instruments was situational: the teacher was the one who could play: the priest, the regent of the chapel, a visiting master or a travelling musician. In the first quarter of the 18th century the vocal and instrumental a cappella included: flutes, oboes, bassoon, violins, trumpets and positivo. During the 18th century the chapel was enriched with new instruments: keyboard (piano, clavichord); strings (viola, basset, violin); wind instruments (trumpet, trombone, French horn, flute, bassoon, clarinet) and percussion instruments. At the same time an organ with pedals “for thirteen voices” was purchased.
NAMES. PORTRAITS
The issue of using narrative miniatures in the design of charters in the 18th century has not been raised in the research literature so far. The process of creating such documents was regulated by a special decree, but it mainly concerned the letters of nobility. It established the document’s form, as well as the mandatory elements of its design with a detailed description. It prescribed the use of “decorations appropriate to the service”, but without specifying the requirements. The decree does not contain any special instructions regarding the design of letters for property grants.
In the course of the scientific description of the letters for movable and immovable property granted to Admiral Vasily Yakovlevich Chichagov for the Victory in the Battles of Reval and Vyborg (1790), it was founded that such letters were generally issued according to the same rules as the letters of nobility. “Decorations appropriate to the service” in this case are narrative miniatures included in the composition of the frame. A detailed study of miniatures raises the question of the existence in the 18th century of the practice of using symbols and allegorical images in the design of official documents.
This article examines important components of the academic method of working on historical painting in the second half of the 18th century: studying the experience of artists of different times, styles and trends, as well as copying their paintings. On the example of works by the historical painter, student and pensioner of the Imperial Academy of Arts P.I. Sokolov (1753—1791) it is investigated how the practice of copying “reference” works (contemporary and earlier) influenced the choice of subjects and the formation of compositional techniques in the master’s painting.
The research objectives included the search for works that served as a source of inspiration for the artist when creating his own works, containing features recognizable to his contemporaries. The source base includes both pictorial and written sources. The reports and P.I. Sokolov’s “Italian Journal” kept in the Imperial Academy of Arts collection of the Russian State Historical Archive, part of which the author of this article published earlier, belong to the reporting documentation of Russian pensioners.
It is shown that the first stage of P.I. Sokolov’s appeal to “reference” works was the academic practice of creating a copy for educational purposes, and the next stage was the study of works during the years of the artist’s retirement (1773—1778). Working in the workshops of the leading European masters P. Batoni and Ch.-J. Natoire, familiarity with their creative manner also played a role in the formation of the painter’s individual artistic style. Later, the choice of generations of Imperial Academy of Arts students as models for copying the paintings of P.I. Sokolov shows that the artist managed to create reference works according to all the canons of historical painting of classicism.
ORBIS LITTERARUM
The article deals with the illustrations by Russian artists to the famous fairy-tale novel “The Three Fat Men” by Yu.K. Olesha, written 100 years ago — from the drawings for the first publication (1928) to the design of recent editions. The author sees his task in recalling some forgotten or underestimated works, to characterize in detail the graphic cycles that can be called the most successful and significant. An attempt is made to identify emerging trends in the visual reading of the anniversary novel, to draw attention to common places and differences in its interpretation. The fairy tale is still a part of children’s reading circle, is constantly reprinted, and the accumulated experience of its pictorial interpretation may be of interest for modern graphic artists, publishers, librarians, book historians, art critics, and for the average reader. The issues related to the illustration of “The Three Fat Men” have already been partially addressed in the book by the literary critic B.E. Galanov, in articles and monographs about individual artists and the history of children’s books in general, in reviews of new editions of the fairy tale. However, these publications do not close the topic, but on the contrary — stimulate its further research, provide valuable material for analysis and generalizations. The author emphasizes the complexity of Yu.K. Olesha’s novel for visual embodiment, the danger of too literal translation of the writer’s metaphorical language into visuals. The works of the first two illustrators of the fairy tale had a noticeable influence on their followers. While M.V. Dobuzhinsky was at the origin of a playful, buffoonish, predominantly comic reading of the story, V.I. Kozlinsky emphasized the theme of rebellion and the social conflict of the characters. Both of these lines found an interesting continuation in the works of artists of the second half of 20th century. The most successful and significant of them are the illustration cycles by B.M. Kalaushin, V.N. Goryaev, M.A. Bychkov, which were recognized by readers and critics and are often reprinted in the 21st century.
JOINT OF TIME
The evolution of Chinese ceramics is a vivid chronicle of mutual influence between culture and nature. From the primitive pottery of the Neolithic Age to the dazzling polychrome wares of the Han and Tang dynasties, and further to the refined elegance of the Song and Ming periods, each leap in ceramic artistry was deeply rooted in its historical environment. Research reveals that natural factors—such as climate shifts, resource distribution, and population migration—intertwined with human influences like political changes, technological advances, and cultural exchanges to shape distinct ceramic styles across eras. These millennia-spanning artifacts are not merely expressions of aesthetic pursuit but also testaments to ancient China’s adaptive ingenuity, offering profound insights into the dynamic relationship between civilization and nature.
The article identifies the relationship between the development of Chinese ceramics and changes in cultural and natural environment of China. It examines the main stages in the evolution of Chinese ceramic art, from early technologies and styles to more complex forms that emerged through cultural contacts and innovations during the Han, Tang, Song and Ming dynasties. It is emphasized that each historical change in ceramics was driven by a variety of factors, including adaptation to local natural resources, changes in social structure and the influence of external cultures.
Particular attention is given to ecology, where climate change, population migration and access to mineral resources played an important role, which in turn influenced the formation of unique styles in different regions. The spread of ceramics as a cultural phenomenon is examined, which has become a reflection of Chinese artistic taste and philosophy in a global context. It is shown how the craftsmanship of Chinese ceramists evolved in response to changes in environmental conditions and socio-political circumstances, and how these changes influenced the form, style, and production methods of the wares. Factors such as political environment, social culture, economic development, technological advancement and external communications have together also contributed to the evolution of Chinese ceramics.
It is concluded that Chinese ceramics are not only a reflection of cultural values, but are also the result of adaptation to environmental conditions. This emphasizes the importance of studying ceramics as a source of knowledge about ancient societies and their interaction with the environment.
The article presents the results of the study of artistic techniques and ideological approaches used by Soviet documentary filmmakers in the film journalism of the 1960s, devoted to criticism of the USA, its foreign and domestic policy, cultural and social sphere. The choice of the USSR’s main political opponent as the object of study is natural, since the most important specialists (R.L. Karmen, A.I. Medvedkin, Yu.V Mongolovsky, et. al.), authors of such significant films as “Sputnik Speaks” (1959), “Reason Against Madness” (1960), “The Law of Meanness” (1962), “Military Bases on Foreign Territories” (1965), “Friendship with a Hack” (1965), “The Movie Camera Accuses” (1967), “Sclerosis of Conscience” (1968), “The American Way” (1971), etc. Thanks to them, in a relatively short period of time, Soviet film journalism was enriched with new techniques and concepts aimed at effectively constructing the image of a political opponent and a political ally in the screen arts. The analysis has revealed the well-known genre fluctuations: the film-pamphlet and the film reportage, their aesthetics formed the basis of Russian film journalism of the 1960s. The trend reflected the tasks set for documentary cinema during the escalation of the Cold War. The images of enemy and ally played the main role, and film journalism as a synthesis of literary form (pamphlet, essay) and screen image took an important place here. The high frequency of Soviet documentary filmmakers’ treatment of the subject of American aggression in Vietnam testifies to the active use of the image of the USSR not only as a peaceful state, America’s opponent, but also as a victorious country in World War II. The treatment of the ideological confrontation between the USSR and the USA through the prism of the victory over Nazism explains the frequent motive of comparing the conquering foreign policy of the USA, its imperial ambitions with the foreign policy of Germany and its satellite countries in the 1940s. The Vietnam War as an actual and contemporary event of those years is used as the most significant argument of the ideological failure of the USA and its role as a world hegemon that chose the wrong path of historical development. At the same time, the sharp form of film journalism allows the authors to generalize the Vietnamese theme into an extended metaphor.
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