The Multifaceted Possibilities of Small Objects: Notes of the Potential of Southern Levantine Signet Rings

Purpose: based on the analysis of scientific sources, to identify the peculiarities of the reflection of sumo wrestling in various types of Japanese fine arts and to reveal its role in the formation and expression of the national identity of the Japanese. Material and methods. To solve the research tasks, the following methods were used: historical and cultural analysis - to study the origin and development of sumo wrestling as a cultural phenomenon; art historical analysis - to identify the specifics of sumo reflection in various art forms; iconographic analysis - to study plots, motifs, artistic images related to sumo wrestling. Results: based on the analysis of scientific and methodological information and Internet sources, it was found that sumo wrestling is a unique and distinctive Japanese sport with a long history. It is an integral part of Japanese culture and has a deep cultural and symbolic meaning. Images of sumo wrestlers are often found in various forms of Japanese art - painting, graphics, sculpture, etc. However, a comprehensive study of the reflection of the theme of sumo wrestling in art has not been conducted before. The study of the peculiarities of the depiction of sumo wrestling in art will allow us to better understand not only the sport itself, but also the peculiarities of the worldview and aesthetic preferences of the Japanese people. An in- depth study of the cultural history of sumo through the prism of art will help to present the uniqueness and value of this tradition more clearly. This may interest young people and encourage them to take up sumo wrestling, while the images of legendary sumo wrestlers in painting and sculpture will inspire young athletes to reach the same heights of skill. Conclusions. A study of scientific sources has shown that the topic of sumo wrestling in Japanese fine art is not sufficiently covered. Sumo wrestling has deep cultural roots and symbolic meaning in Japan. Its images can be traced in art from ancient times to the present day. The analysis of works of fine art allows us to trace the evolution of ideas about sumo wrestling and its place in the national culture. Starting from the Kofun period, haniwa figurines depicting wrestlers performed an apotropaic function, scaring away evil spirits. In the Edo period, with the development of ukiyo-e prints, sumo wrestling became a popular theme in the work of leading artists. The images of legendary champions and dramatic scenes of fights attracted viewers. Wrestlers embodied the national ideal of courage and strength. In modern times, artists continue the tradition of depicting sumo, paying tribute to the cultural heritage of Japan. Keywords: sumo, ukiyo-e, print, fine art, haniwa, Edo period, ryokshi, Japan, woodblock print, netsuke, martial arts.

Background. reveals art analysis of archetypes and artistic images reflecting the Kazakh national culture in the paintings of modern artists of Kazakhstan The ways of art history analysis have been revealed for the most characteristic archetypes and artistic images of the Kazakh national culture, which are revealed by modern Kazakhstani artists in their paintings. A typological method is suggested in studying the development of contemporary contemporary art in Kazakhstan. The revival of the traditional worldview in the modern art of Kazakhstan is justified. Scientific novelty is connected with the historical and art history analysis of symbolizing, ethnosign functions of culture on the basis of reconstruction of the sign-symbolic system of the pictorial type, through which an interpretation of various types of contemporary art of Kazakhstan is given. Contemporary art of Kazakhstan is characterized by the integration of various types, genres and styles, while the development of the world by new means is carried out through signs and symbols established in the context of traditional culture. The performed art history analysis indicates that the sign-symbolic system of the Tengrian world picture is actively and quite fully implemented in various types and genres of modern art in Kazakhstan. In the works of contemporary artists, along with geometrics, signs and symbols of the animated world (plant and zoomorphic) are used, relevant in the aspect of the ecology of culture, as an answer to the global challenges of our time. The results are significant for theoretical and practical understanding of the problem under consideration, in particular, for Евразийский Союз Ученых (ЕСУ) # 2(71), 2020 5 deepening the description and analysis of works of art by Kazakh artists, as well as for further systematic analysis of works with elements of archetypal motifs and mythological images. Article materials can be used in training courses of art faculties and specialties

The article examines the theoretical and methodological foundations of the concentration of visual culture, which were proposed in the cultural studies of the first half of the twentieth century. The authors note that this issue remains relevant and insufficiently studied despite the large number of studies on visual culture. In their analytical reviews, foreign and domestic researchers traditionally consider R. Barth, W. Benjamin, M. Foucault, and J. Lacan, whose work influences the formation of the theoretical and methodological foundations for research on visual culture. The authors of the article suggest paying attention to the teachings of the founder of the ‘Hamburg School’ A. Warburg and his followers, in particular, E. Panofsky. Representatives of this school developed two main approaches that influenced the formation of the interdisciplinary field of visual culture in the second half of the twentieth century. The first approach is art historical analysis. A. Warburg applied his innovative approach to the analysis of figures of movement, interpreting them as visual topoi - stable compositional formulas similar to rhetorical devices in poetry that served to express certain emotions or meanings. The researchers note that the real theoretical problems for A. Warburg were the ‘coining’ of images as a civilisational process and the dynamic relationship between visual forms in art and language. The effectiveness of this approach has been recognised in many humanitarian disciplines, including religious studies and teratology. The authors of the article note the consonance of the ideas of the ‘discoverer’ of the ‘visual turn’ W. Mitchell with the Warburgian approach to the history of images. The second approach is the iconological method. According to the established academic version, E. Panofsky is considered the founder of iconology. However, in the Warburgian circle, the emergence of the method was associated with A. Warburg's speech, and its full theoretical systematisation with the work of E. Panofsky. He outlined the structure of the new approach in the form of a diagram that demonstrates the relationship between the artistic object, the subject of interpretation, and the objective corrections of meaning that are taken into account in the process of analysis. He proposed to distinguish between: first, the preliminary phenomenological level (covering the direct perception of the physical and expressive aspects of the image, which is formed on the basis of life experience and adjusted by knowledge of the stylistic norms of the era); second, the iconographic level (at this stage, the content is recognised through textual sources that reflect historical and cultural codes); third, the iconological level (reflecting the deep, philosophical understanding of the image as a manifestation of the collective worldview of a certain era). These methods, further developed by W. Heckscher and H. Janson (participants of the Hamburg seminar at the Warburg Institute), have shown their heuristic potential for conceptualising the field of visual studies at the end of the twentieth century. Keywords: cultural theory, visual studies, Warbrugh, Panofsky, art historical analysis, iconological method, foundations of scientific research.

The purpose of the study is to substantiate the methodological principle of researching realism painting on the example of analysing a painting by the Ukrainian artist Yurii Kamyshnyi. The research methodology combines a set of general theoretical (analysis and systematisation of material, theoretical generalisation and the method of deduction) and special scientific methods (terminological, method of analogies, art historical analysis, iconographic method). The scientific novelty of the study convinces of the possibility and advantages of applying an interdisciplinary approach to reveal the specifics of realistic painting. The dependence of the analysis of the prerequisites for the emergence and reasons for the realisation of realism in each artistic epoch, the conditions of its development in the classical and post-classical socio-cultural paradigm is substantiated. The content of the concept of "realism" is revealed through the prism of humanitarian knowledge, in particular, history, philosophy, cultural studies, ethnography, art history, psychology, sociology, which allowed strengthening the analysis of works performed in the realistic manner of realism. Conclusions. Based on the analysis of a number of definitions of the synonymous terms "interdisciplinarity" and "interdisciplinary approach" available in the Ukrainian scientific discourse, interdisciplinarity as an integrative approach to the analysis of works of art with interconnections with other areas of humanitarian knowledge, borrowings and the use of tools (schemes, models, categories, concepts) is substantiated. Analysing the specifics of realistic painting on the example of the work of the Ukrainian artist Yurii Kamyshnyi’s "Sun Caresses", the application of the historical and systematic method (as a correspondence to the political, social, cultural, and artistic conditions of development) is shown. The iconographic method and art historical analysis allowed us to substantiate the combination of landscape (rural landscape) and domestic genres. The style of the painting is in the manner of nineteenth-century realism, which is characterised by the depiction of the elegance of summer rural life with the personification of the day (noon). The image of the tree leaves, which seem to be "tired" of the scorching sun, was important here. The sun is also represented with flickering rays on a neatly whitewashed house wall. The iconographic method made it possible to describe the subject of the work as the exterior of a typical Ukrainian rural dwelling and yard. The method of generalisation allowed us to present its dominance in the work of the realist artist. The cross-cultural method was used to compare the plot specifics of the painting with the plot motifs of foreign realist artists. The method of ethnographic observation allowed us to verify the typicality of the image of a hut for the rural Ukrainian countryside.

Small red objects were found during the excavation of an 18th-century cesspit in the town of Tiel in the Netherlands. These red flakes proved to be shellac seals from letters. Archaeological and historical evidence show that the upper-class family of Van Lidth de Jeude lived in the mansion at the time the refuse was discarded. Coats of arms were depicted on the seals impressed by seal matrices or signet rings. As they were attached to letters, they represent the mail sent to the family. Heraldic and historical investigation led to the identification of about 40 persons and families who corresponded with the Van Lidth de Jeudes. Three socio-economic groups were recognized: an official network of, for example, mayors of other towns in the State of Guelders; within the Tieler- and Bommelerwaard region; and family and relatives. A fourth group consists of official and semi-official contacts in the town of Utrecht. Because family, relations, marital status and gender can be distinguished from the shape and composition of the personal coats of arms, these seals throw light on the nature of the family correspondence. They reveal what may have been a gender-based network between the Van Lidth de Jeude ladies and their female relatives in other towns.

Mixed neuroendocrine-non neuroendocrine neoplasm of the colon

Three years of work under the Project “Cultural Diffusion of the Circassians of Russia and Turkey: Art Historical and Socio-Cultural Analysis” coincided with both difficult epidemiological situation in the world, and with known political and economical problems. Despite these hardships, the research team has managed to produce many research outputs, including an electronic Encyclopedia of Circassian artists, that has information about 162 Circassian artists and more than 500 illustrations with data, from Adyghea, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, different cities of Russia and Turkey. In this paper the result of the project are summarised under the philosophical, cultural, culturological, and socio-cultural clusters. The research study concluded that the phenomenon of ethnic separation is a complex object of study both in theory and practice. In this regard, in our study we first focused on the substantiation of the concept of "ethnic art" and the idea of how the mechanisms of cultural penetration into the existing systems of a divided ethnic group work. In the case of the Circassians the desire for reunification is limited to cultural contacts, where the culture of the metropolis often acts as a donor for the diaspora majority of Turkey. An analysis of the functional ties between parts of a divided ethnic group shows that for the Circassians of the diaspora, contacts with fellow Caucasians are a breeding ground for preserving the language, familiarizing with professional culture, and promoting various types of art - musical, theatrical, choreographic. For the Circassians of the metropolis, the culture and folklore of the Circassians of the Diaspora is a resource for the renewal of artistic culture in all its forms and genres. The so-called "genetic memory" is triggered in both, reinforcing the ethnic identity, and allowing the subjects to feel a spiritual unity, a collective sense of security, a common past, a common history and mutual ancestors.

This article examines interactive DVD cinema (late 1990s–mid-2000s) as an artistic phenomenon. Using art historical analysis, case studies, and comparison with the FMV format, the research explores its evolution within audiovisual and interactive media. Key results include identifying how DVD technology's capabilities (capacity, non-linear access) enabled the format, while remote control and DVD-Video limitations constrained interactivity design and aesthetics. A typology of interactive narrative strategies (nodal branching, parallel, labyrinth, environment-based) is proposed, and differences from FMV in technology, interactivity, narrative, and cultural positioning are highlighted. This study represents the first systematic art historical analysis of the format. It concludes that interactive DVDs were a unique, shortlived experimental stage influencing later interactive media. Future research directions involve in-depth case studies and digital preservation.

Blue paper was probably the most common substrate onto which pastels were painted during the eighteenth century. Nevertheless, the associated implications have not yet been researched comprehensively. Based on case studies and contemporary source documents as well as in cooperation with conservators from international collections, this article argues for incorporating the supposedly invisible into art historical analyses. The aim is also to question both the categorisation of pastel painting as drawing and its assumed “sweet” aesthetics in order to open our eyes to the versatility of pastel painting. Through an art-theoretical discussion of underlying materials and the dissecting gaze, the article reflects on artificiality, illusionism, verisimilitude, and the subjectified view.

The following thesis surveys artistic utilizations of the archive and underscores its role as a tool for knowledge disruption. Fluctuating between theoretical meanderings, autobiographical reflections, and the analysis of artwork, I propose one avenue in which to reinvigorate conversations around the archive began by Derrida in Archive Fever and by Hal Foster in “Archival Impulse.” Approaching the archive as both a theoretical container and as a charged artist medium, I argue for a new archival impulse — one that embraces opaqueness and mess over clarity and order. Comprised of eight individual sections, and a parallel dialogue presented in the form of extended footnotes, the thesis borrows formal and stylistic strategies from arenas of creative non-fiction, diaristic writing, and art historical analysis. Archive scholars — Derrida, Foster, Michel Foucault, Annet Dekker — are cross-examined with thinkers in fields of queer theory, ecology, art history, philosophy, media studies, performance studies, and cultural studies — Jose Munoz, Lee Edelman, Sara Ahmed, Jane Bennett, Hito Steyerl, Graham Harman, Timothy Morton, Nicholas de Villiers. Contextualizing artwork made during my time in graduate school through contemporary artists working in the fields of painting, performance and installation, I outline how this research has led me to define a particularly artistic subcategory of archival discourse capable of capturing the pulse of an American undercurrent. Artists building with and through the counter-archive look backward to engage with the potentiality of what has not yet come to pass. Their unorthodox strategies for collecting and sharing history employ the archive not as merely a bank of historical knowledge, but in fact, as a formally antagonistic counter to the ways in which history and other forms of knowledge production are weaponized as systems of oppression.

The purpose of the article is to investigate the theological programme, continuity and originality of the mural paintings of the Exaltation of the Precious Cross Church of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra in 1894. The research methodology is based on historical and cultural analysis, as well as art historical analysis. The scientific novelty of the study. The theological programme of the mural painting of the Cross Exaltation Church of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra in 1894 has been studied: its genesis, ideological basis, main theme, thematic plot lines, and thematic hierarchy have been determined. The continuity principle is defined as the basis of the connection between the original (the 18th century) and renewed (1894; Daniil Davydov) decoration of the Cross Exaltation Church. The pictorial compositions analogies to the paintings of the compartments of Lavra Great Church (Dormition Cathedral) according to the programme of the 1720s are observed. Secondary analogies with some compositions in the Lavra Trinity Gate Church are also indicated. Along with analogies, the differences in the thematic, compositional, and stylistic interpretation of the paintings have been investigated. The academicism features in the mural painting of 1894 have been analysed. The originality of themes and plots addition in the mural paintings with icons in the iconostasis and the altar has been revealed. Conclusions. The mural painting programme’s primary source of the Cross Exaltation Church of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra has been the programme of painting the interior of Lavra Great Church (Dormition Cathedral) in the 1720s. The renewed mural paintings of 1894 inherited the original decoration of the Cross Exaltation Church. Analogies with the paintings of the Great Church can be traced to the theme and general compositional schemes. A partial analogy to the mural painting of the Trinity Church narthex has been used as a component for another theme. Innovations in the paintings of the Cross Exaltation Church have been manifested in the formation of a peculiar thematic hierarchy, a change in compositional elements, and a transition from the baroque style to the traditions of academic sacred painting. The originality is manifested in the presentation of emotionally saturated subjects in the altar icons and paintings, due to which a calm and sublime rhythm of the wall compositions are created. Some icons are a plot addition to the murals. Several thematic lines are revealed in the mural painting, namely the sacrifice of the Saviour on the cross, the sacrifice of a man to God, the meeting of a man with God, the Divine Liturgy and Church of Christ. The main theme of the church painting decoration is the glorification of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and the Precious and Life-giving Cross of the Lord as the instrument of His victory and our salvation. The ideological basis of the mural paintings theological programme is a line from the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Hebrews [Hebrews 19:39–40, 20:1–2]. Keywords: sacral culture, Orthodoxy, academic painting, baroque painting, mural painting, sacral painting, Ukrainian painting, Great Church, Dormition Cathedral, Cross Exaltation Church, Holy Trinity Gate Church, Daniil Davydov.

The purpose of the study is a comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon of Art Nouveau as a cultural and historical period, identifying its key characteristics and assessing its impact on the transformation of art. The research methodology includes the study of philosophical, social and technological factors that led to the formation of modern aesthetics, as well as the analysis of specific artistic trends and works. The work uses an interdisciplinary approach combining historical analysis, cultural interpretation, art historical analysis and the semiotic method. As a result of the research, the main stages of the evolution of modernity have been identified, and its distinctive features in various national contexts have been identified. It shows how modernity has radically changed traditional ideas about the beauty, form and function of art, stimulating the search for new artistic languages. Research perspectives. Further research may be aimed at studying the influence of modernity on contemporary art, analyzing postmodern criticism of modernity, and rethinking the legacy of modernity in the context of cultural globalization.

This paper refers to the importance of social interconnection between a Second Chance School (S.C.S.) in a detention center and the local community. The research was based on the qualitative approach and on the tool of the semi-structured interview for the collection of research data. Six trainers, eight trainees and the Director of the 2nd S.C.S. of Patras, were the sample of the research, while the technique of content analysis was chosen for the analysis of the data. The results of the survey show that there is a positive effect of the school's openness in achieving its educational objectives. In particular, social interconnection actions contribute to personal development, professional and educational vigilance, the acquisition of social skills, the change of attitudes and, to a lesser extent, to post-internment re-socialization. In addition, in order to improve the effectiveness of these actions, it is proposed that they are organized on a more stable and regular basis, as well as to focus mainly on vocational guidance.

The purpose to demonstrate the implementation of folk traditions in the 1920s scenography on the example of two theatrical performances: “Sava Chaly” (Theatre “Berezil,” Kharkiv, 1927) and “The Fair at Sorochyntsi” (State Ukrainian Opera, Kyiv, 1925) based on the materials of the archival editions of the “New Art” journal (Kharkiv, 1925–1928). Methodology. The methodological basis of the study is a systematic approach, methods of synthesis, generalization, comparative historical and art history analysis. Results. The review of the archival issues of the weekly “New Art” journal allowed to confirm that folk traditions played a prominent role in theatre art at the beginning of the XX century and served as a source of inspiration for scenographers, composers, performers etc. The study indicates the importance of the “New Art” journal as a primary source of information on the cultural events in Ukraine. Based on its issues, the study analyses the publications and photo materials on the scenography of the “Sava Chaly” (Theatre “Berezil,” Kharkiv, 1927) and “The Fair at Sorochyntsi” (State Ukrainian Opera, Kyiv, 1925) performances. The elements of Ukrainian folk art in these performances were emphasised. It is noted that evocation of the folk traditions in the scenography was both a showcase and a guarantee of the preservation of the ethnocultural phenomena in the theatrical environment of the period. The novelty of the study is the identification of the specifics of the use of folk traditions and ethnic elements in the scenography of the 1920s, as well as the introduction into the scientific discourse of the “New Art” journal's issues, which offer materials on the implementation of the folk traditions by directors, stage designers and performers. The practical significance. The study can be useful for research of the history of Ukrainian scenography; the analysis of the artistic heritage of stage designers of the XX century's leading theatres is vital for enriching the modern Ukrainian stage design.

In the 18th – early 19th century, in the architecture of Europe, the fashion for Orientalism began to appear, but this process started to gain real strength in the second half of the 19th century during the spread of the so-called neo-styles. The certain creative tribute to the enthusiasm for oriental motives was given by the most famous Kharkiv architect – academician of architecture O. M. Beketov. In 1895–1910 he designed and built on his yard space in the village of Profesorskyi Kutochok (now a district of the Crimean city of Alushta) the complex of summer cottages by the sea in the eclectic style, but with the clear preference for the architectural forms of the oriental look. The center of its composition was the two-storey six-room manor house with the asymmetrical balcony (oriental-type veranda), open terrace, two loggias and compact interior plan system. In the same spirit, for his brother-in-law D. O. Alchevskyi, the artist made the project of the two-storey city mansion with the corridor-suite plan system, which was built in 1896–1897 in Kharkiv on Sadovo-Kulikivska Str., 7 (now Darvina Str., 13). Based on the historical and art history analysis, it can be confidently asserted that the buildings of O. M. Beketov’s dacha in Alushta and the city mansion of D. O. Alchevskyi in Kharkiv were built together using the techniques and forms of Moorish architecture of the 8th–13th centuries and Crimean Tatar architecture of the 14th–18th centuries. It is important that in the process of their design and construction, O. M. Beketov was able to create graceful, charming, almost fabulous architectural images in the best traditions of Morisca. The author creatively applied the plasticity of the architectural elements of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, the Giralda minaret in Seville, the Palacio de Pena in Sintra, Portugal, which bizarrely and, at the same time, organically harmonized with Iraqi, Crimean Tatar and purely European architectural forms. In addition, in his creations, O. M. Beketov significantly strengthened the eclecticism characteristic of Moorish architecture with elements of Art Nouveau, only adding modernity and extraordinary expressiveness to the architectural image of houses. The design and construction of these buildings for their time was carried out at the highest level, which makes it possible to confidently include them in the circle of the best old mansions of Alushta and Kharkiv. In addition, O. M. Beketov’s dacha is one of the important architectural dominants of Profesorskyi Kutochok, and D. O. Alchevskyi’s mansion, from the urban planning point of view, very successfully closes the perspective of Kulykovskyi Descent in Kharkiv. Both buildings are monuments of architecture, perform weighty urban planning functions, and need protection and periodic restoration.