Artistic Quality Research Articles

ნიკოლოზ ბარათაშვილის პოლიტიკური ორიენტაციისა და მრწამსის შესახებ

The political orientation and creed of Nikoloz Baratashvili are some of the issues that caused the scientific interest of the researchers of his life and work. They tried and are still trying to find out the attitude of the poet towards such historical events, which are the signing of the 1783 Georgievsky treaty by the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti to get the Russian protectorate and its political consequences (loss of the country’s independence, abolition of the royal throne...). This research of scientists is characterized by one feature – when discussing the issue, the poetry by Nikoloz Baratashvili, especially his historical poem “Fate of Kartli” is chosen. As it is known, the characters of this poem – King Erekle and his judge Solomon Lionidze have a heated polemic on the controversial issue of entrusting the fate of the country to Russia and are trying to justify their conflicting attitudes.
 Recently, remarkable works of Georgian literary scholars were published, the authors of which (T. Doiashvili, L. Bregadze) consider such attempts to clarify the poet’s political orientation and creed as inappropriate. According to them, the main mistake here was and is the fact that the artistic character of texts chosen for analysis is not taken into account, in particular, the worldview principle of romantic irony, which is characteristic of romantic authors and which is reflected in their prose or poetic texts, is neglected.
 We fully share the argumentation and point of view of the abovementioned scholars and consider that the study of Nikoloz Baratashvili’s political creed should be continued in such a way as to distinguish him, on the one hand, as a romantic poet, and on the other hand, as a historical person. In research, we should focus not on his poetry, but on the biographical material that we have mainly as a result of the critical study of the memories of the poet’s contemporaries and other sources, and his epistolary heritage –nonfiction, which is more reliable for our intended purposes than his poetic works.
 The presented article is an attempt to clarify the poet’s political orientation and creed on this basis.

Kusinerna Wilhelm och Elsa Stenhammars betydelse för bildandet av Göteborgs orkesterskola och Göteborgs orkesterförenings skola för körsång

When the Gothenburg Orchestra School and the Gothenburg Orchestra Association’s school for choir singing were formed at the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra during the 1916/17 season, Wilhelm Stenhammar had been the orchestra’s chief conductor for nine years. Despite his great importance for the orchestra, there is nothing to show that the formation of the two new schools was on his initiative. Regarding the orchestra school, there were several factors that contributed to its formation, among them the obligation to fulfil the conditions of a will that had been crucial to the creation of the orchestra, and also the need to ensure the recruitment of musicians to the orchestra and to counteract the preponderance of foreign musicians. In the first years of its existence, the symphony orchestra cooperated with some high bourgeoisie choirs dating back to the 19th century, despite their mediocre artistic quality. When the last of these choirs was discontinued in 1916, Elsa Stenhammar, a cousin of Wilhelm’s who had formed a number of high-quality choirs with members from the middle and working classes, offered to transfer her choirs to the orchestra’s organization, which could then start a choir school and, only a year later, its own choir, the Concert Hall Choir. Keywords: Wilhelm Stenhammar, Elsa Stenhammar, Gothenburg, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Orchestra Association, orchestra school, choir school, concert hall choir, musicology, music history.

Closures: Endings in al-Qalqashandī’s Literary Encyclopaedia and Malmlūk Carpets

Recent studies indicate an intersection and an interaction between the literary works of a certain culture and its art works. In the Mamlūk era, literary encyclopaedias flourished, while carpet weaving thrived above other artisanal industries. Taking into consideration the enormity of both endeavors—which seem to have been part of the collective aesthetic taste at the time—this research enquires about a potential link between the framing of Mamlūk carpets and that of the literary encyclopaedia of that era. It also conducts a comparison between the artistic characteristics of carpet edges, being the visual ending of their patterns, and significant features of the closure of Ṣubḥ al-aʿshā fī ṣināʿat al-inshā by Aḥmad b. ʿAlī al-Qalqashandī (d. 821/1418), one of the most famous Mamlūk encyclopaedias, which demonstrates the level of literary maturity this type of work reached in the beginning of the 9th/15th century.

ЖАНР NATURE WRITING У НОВІТНІЙ НІМЕЦЬКІЙ ЛІТЕРАТУРІ: УЛЬРІКЕ ДРЕСНЕР, МАРІОН ПОШМАН

Ecocriticism theory has been applied to analyze the artistic features of Nature Writing, an Anglophone genre recently fi rmly established in German-language literature. The study is based on theoretical and fi ctional texts of writers Ulrike Draesner and Marion Poschmann, recognized with the German Award in Nature Writing. The issue of translating the notion of “Nature Writing” and the use of adequate names for this type of literature (“nature writing”, “green literature”, and “language landscapes”) has been considered. Poetical properties of the genre have been identifi ed, and national diff erences between the writings in Anglophone countries and Germany have been highlighted in view of said properties. With reference to literary traditions of writing about nature, the conventions of German Nature Writing have been established, and its correspondence with the well-established Anglophone theory has been determined. The German writer Ulrike Draesner has been introduced as an author and thinker, actively participating in the theoretical discourse on ecology. Her work is a creative manifestation of the “writing according to nature” programme justifi ed in her poetological lectures. It implies “reading from the book of nature”, which is not open but actively constituting itself to promote the reading of the non-linguistic, alive element, skilfully expressed by the author on the level of language. Marion Poschmann, a poet, novelist, and essay writer, understands writing as “poetry of nature” and aims to achieve such a level of impact on the reader that they change their attitude towards the environment and rethink their role in it. According to the artist, specifi c for “nature writing” is the requirement of a high artistic level as we aim to combine observation and concentration in artistic expression. A study of German-language Nature Writing highlights the immediate relevance of a number of environmental issues that this literary genre addresses. Key words: Nature Writing, writing according to nature, poetry of nature, ecocriticism, linguistic experiments, Ulrike Draesner, Marion Poschmann.

Aleksandr Livergant. Agatha Christie: The witness for the prosecution

The review considers the first Russian biography of Agatha Christie authored by A. Livergant. Opening with a prologue that reconstructs the events preceding the writer’s famous disappearance, the biography combines a wealth of facts with good artistic quality. That it should be rich in facts is required by the book’s genre, but the biography’s very structure, which resembles a work of fiction, with its prologue, thirteen chapters and ‘In place of an epilogue,’ conveys the idea of the inseparability of life from writing. Since Christie drew inspiration for her mysteries from journeys and her own life’s events, the structure seems particularly appropriate. Moreover, it offers a principally new optics for the examination of the writer’s legacy: something more than works of a gifted artisan of the genre, Christie’s texts are a product of a specific context made up by historical and cultural developments as well as other works of fiction, of which many have been translated by Livergant or examined in his other biographies

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE UKRAINIAN COSTUME AND ITS REGIONAL FEATURES

The article investigates the history of Ukrainian costume development in accordance with different regions of Ukraine, namely: the Middle Dnieper, Podillya, Polissya and Volyn, Slobozhanshchyna and Poltava regions, Carpathians, South. Particular attention is paid to the artistic features of the Ukrainian costume. The aesthetic properties and features of clothing decoration are investigated. The regional complexes of the Ukrainian traditional dress are analyzed. Characterized features of cutting and sewing of men's and women's clothing.
 The author presented not only general information about the costumes of various historical epochs, its various components at each stage of its development, but also characterized the breastplate, satin, outerwear, hats, hairstyles, ornaments.

Hutsul folk costumes in the collection of the Seweryn Udziela Ethnographic Museum in Krakow: a contribution to research

Polish museums have outstanding collections of folk decorative and applied arts, including from the Hutsul region: they are characterized by local origin and an extraordinary variety of typology of items, workmanship and artistic features. They differ significantly in quantity and condition of preservation. The most valuable collection of Hutsul folk art, especially of traditional costumes and fabrics, is in the Seweryn Udziela Ethnographic Museum in Krakow, and dates from the last quarter of the 19th and first three decades of the 20th century. The article discusses the need for an in-depth study of the MEK collection of the Hutsul folk costumes. It outlines historical determinants of interest in the Hutsul region, and in its traditional clothing in particular. A short review of the literature is given as well as the events that caused successive waves of fascination with the Hutsul region throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. The analysis included only some types of clothing that have conflicting descriptions and requiredetailed research. This article is a contribution to an in-depth research on the Hutsul folk clothing at the MEK and in the collections of other Polish museums.

Интермедиальные приёмы репрезентации образа художника в рассказах Г. Миллера «Нью-Йорк и обратно» и Ч. Буковски «Рабочий день»

The aim of the study is to identify the intermedial means involved in depicting the image of a creative personality represented in the stories “Glittering Pie” (1935) by H. Miller and “A Working Day” (1972) by Ch. Bukowski, contributing to their interpretation, which will cover the works plot-wise, texturally and epistemologically. The study is original in that it is the first to compare H. Miller’s and Ch. Bukowski’s stories from an intermedial perspective. The way in which different visual media techniques find their embodiment in a literary text, being present in it not only as a static reference, but also as an active component influencing the formation of writing and images, is of particular interest in the analysis of the works. The visual in Miller’s story manifests itself through the techniques of surrealism, impressionism and cinema. In the case of Bukowski’s story, the visual is realized through the forms of pop art, photographic stylization and a reference to the subjects of paintings by the artist E. Hopper. The results show that the intermedial techniques involved in the stories make it possible to determine the writers’ connection with the aesthetic projects of modernism and postmodernism. While Miller’s story shows the features of modernist art associated with self-reflection, originality of creative vision and the gap between the ordinary and the sacred, in Bukowski’s story, there are certain features of postmodernism represented by symbolic reduction, a decrease in aesthetic pathos around the artist and his creative activity, as well as thematization of everyday life and banality.

Breaking for gold: Who can judge me?

Despite the central importance of judging in breaking competition, little quantitative research on how different people judge and score breaking battles has yet been done. This article explores variables that potentially influence performance evaluation. Statistical analyses of survey data show how these variables can affect battle results. Findings concerning adjudicator certification application vetting and course teaching recommend to not discriminate by applicant veterancy yet focus on thorough curricula, customized per country. More judge certification course time should also focus on the proper comprehension of performances’ interpretative and artistic qualities. The final exam should be what defines who can be a good judge. Implications reach as far as education for the Olympic competition audience. Such curricula can use videos as described herein. Suggestions for further study are also discussed.

Editorial

Over the last decade developments in virtual reality (VR) technologies have given rise to a new wave of immersive storytelling experiences that have captivated audiences at film festivals, in galleries, through online platforms and various other venues. In response, scholarly research into narrative-based VR has sought to understand the affordances, artistic qualities and immersive nature of this medium. Within this array of analysis and reflection, traditional screenwriting concerns such as narrative structure, plot devices and character development have been discussed alongside notions of immersion, embodiment and user experience design. Accordingly, notions of ‘script development’ have expanded to encompass processes gathered under terms like ‘conceptualization’, ‘prototyping’ and ‘narrative design’, which assume specific connotations in relation to various disciplinary approaches. This Special Issue explores the technologies, practices and paradigms that VR storytelling implements, with particular attention given to the differing terminology across disciplines that resonates, repurposes or redefines conceptual understandings belonging to earlier media, and specifically, to screenwriting for film.

Three XIX Century Wallachian Dances in Edward Jones’ Melody Collection

In the center of attention of the paper, there are three Wallachian dance melodies in piano transcription, which, together with the music of other peoples, are included in a collection of songs published at the beginning of the 19th century in London. The article focuses on the morphological and syntactic analysis of the musical content, trying to distinguish the facets of the sound discourse, which would prove its belonging to the Romanian musical fund. The radiography, undertaken along the way, at the level of structural elements (motif, phrase, melodic profile) and musical language as a carrier of semantic, cognitive and affective information (intonations, scales, modes, cadences, modulation), aims to mark the specific particularities of the music of the national dance in the perspective of the melodies found in the London collection. The aspects investigated and the conclusions of the study underline the idea of the interest shown for our musical culture of oral tradition and its circulation abroad, which, along with the recognition of its artistic qualities, configures the ethnic specificity rendered through music.

Features of structure and types in the traditional headdress of Chinese Orochons

The object of the study is the cap of the Chinese Orochon tradition. The subject of the study is the head decoration of Chinese orochons made of goat skin. The article discusses the main types of caps and their structural features and production technology. Orochons make a special headdress from the head skin of a roe deer, which demonstrates the gender and status of the person wearing this decoration. The Orochon hat belongs to traditional Chinese clothing and serves as one of the indicators of this nation. Against the background of globalization, the culture and aesthetic thinking of Orochon art provide rich ideological sources and practical directions for the development of aesthetics and art of the world. The purpose of the study is the characteristics of traditional Orochon headdresses, the symbolic meaning of headdresses and the importance of animal skin headdresses. This article uses such research methods as the method of literature analysis, the method of investigation and research documentary interview and examines the art of Orochon head ornaments. Thus, we can lead to the following conclusion: the traditional Orochon head decoration is an important component of the Chinese and world culture of the art of head jewelry. Orochon head jewelry in its long history of development has acquired an elegant and attractive appearance and exquisite workmanship. Chinese researchers pay more attention to the aesthetic and ethnological studies of these products, which has created great theoretical value for us and provides a strong reference basis. The novelty of the article lies in the distribution of symbolic meanings and artistic features of Orochon head ornaments, in particular, their hats. The history of their development and cultural connotation are systematically analyzed, the description and communication of artistic features and symbolic meanings are carried out.

The ideological origins and aesthetic construction of yijing (artistic conception)

The ideological origin of yijing (artistic conception), an important concept in China’s classical aesthetic category, has an inseparable relationship with the influence of traditional philosophies of Buddhism and Taoism. This kind of influence can be seen from both the creation of the concept of yijing (意境) and the artistic characteristics and aesthetic modes yijing reveals. However, from the perspective and achievements of the structural research, the structure of yijing containing aesthetic levels of wu (物), xiang (象), jing (境), guan (观) is similar to that in the artistic practice and aesthetic experience of other ethnics. It indicates that yijing can be considered as an aesthetic category with the universal commensuration of the ancient times, the modern era, Chinese and foreign cultures, to obtain modern transformation and integration that the general tool possesses.

Iconostasis sculpture of the XVIII century churches of the Slobodsky district of the Vyatka province from the collection of the Slobodsky Museum and Exhibition Center

The subject of the study is the peculiarities of carving of the iconostasis wooden sculpture of the XVIII century, made by the masters of Veliky Ustyug, as well as local artisans under their influence. The purpose of the work is to attribute and introduce into scientific circulation - iconostasis wooden sculpture, four figures of angels from the collection of the Slobodsky Museum and Exhibition Center. The paper makes an assumption about the source of receipt and origin of the sculpture, as well as a comparative analysis with Velikoustyuzhsky and Perm iconostasis carvings and wooden plastics. The wooden iconostasis sculpture, while preserving the traditions of Russian Orthodox art, absorbs the features of European art, while at the same time it corresponds to folk art and reflects the features of the Baroque style in local variants. The methodology of the work is based on the principle of stylistic and technological analysis in art history, as well as the principle of historicism in the study of wooden plastics in the context of the development of art in the Russian North. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that four monuments of wooden plastics of the XVIII century from the collection of the Slobodsky Museum are introduced into scientific circulation, their detailed description and stylistic analysis are made. Two paired figures of angels were in the iconostasis and held a frame with a Crucifix, were made by Ustyug craftsmen in the first half of the XVIII century. Two other figures of angels in prayer were made by local craftsmen at the end of the XVIII century, under the influence of Ustyug masters. Further study of the collection of church art of the Slobodsky Museum will allow make reconstructions of the interiors of temples for the museum exposition.

Reflexivity and New Metanarratives. Contemporary English-language Retellings of Classical Mythology

Abstract The turn of the millennium has brought a revival of interest in the ancient Greek and Roman texts. Obviously, the legacy of antiquity is a permanent feature of Western literature and visual arts; yet, its contemporary manifestation has taken a novel form, that of a retelling. It is a new trend in which a well-known text belonging to the canon is given an unorthodox interpretation, which exposes the ethnic, class, and gender prejudices present in the original. Mythological retellings are often written in an accessible manner containing features of genre fiction, which makes the revised version palatable to ordinary readers. A characteristic feature of mythic fantasy is the shift of focus from heroic exploits to private life as well as putting previously marginal characters into limelight. The retellings are a consequence of new, reflexive research angles that have appeared in the field of the classics.

Folk arts and crafts of Ugra: problems of terminological interpretation

The purpose of the study is to analyze the concepts of "folk arts and crafts" and their comparison with folk and decorative arts. The use of materials on the culture of the Ob Ugrians allows us to define the boundaries of these phenomena, which are interpreted differently in legal, educational and cultural contexts. The concepts of "folk arts and crafts" and "folk art" have similarities in that they both relate to traditional forms of culture that were created and passed down from generation to generation by the people. The concept of "decorative and applied art" includes various objects of art that are created for the purpose of decorating clothes, dishes, and interiors. The equivalence of these concepts lies in the fact that this activity of creating handmade products has unique artistic qualities. The materials for the study were the works of Soviet and Russian art historians and ethnographers. The author relies on the fundamental research of the art historian M.A. Nekrasova on the theory of folk art. Special attention is paid to the works of northern historians specializing in the traditional art of the Ob Ugrians. The article analyzes the conceptual framework in federal and regional legislation. Having studied various forms of artistic creativity – folk crafts and folk art, we have identified their specific features, which were formed under the influence of historical, socio-economic, cultural changes. Adherence to tradition is an important feature of the folk culture of the indigenous peoples of the North, which allows us to preserve its unique characteristics. Folk arts and crafts of the Ob Ugrians today continue to develop and adapt to modern realities, while maintaining their identity. Folk art and crafts have a special system of meanings, which are determined by their history, functioning, and specific expression, including in modern reality. The folk art of the Ob Ugrians has its own trajectory of development within the settlement of these peoples. At the same time, all traditional culture has deep roots in the ethnic environment and is transmitted through mechanisms related to ethnic identity and social translation.

The Combination of Architectural Art and Humanization

Art is a broad term that encompasses various virtual and practical art disciplines, of which architecture is a major category. Within the broad category of art, it seems that every small category can react with each other, creating works of higher artistic quality for the world. It is precisely because art has always upheld this characteristic that it has been continuously upgraded by people in recent years. In the process of creation, many art scholars have found that both art and architecture need to be combined with people to be better accepted by society. Film art needs to be appreciated by audiences, music art needs to be listened to by people, painting art needs to be viewed by people, installation art needs to be photographed by people, and architectural art needs to be felt by users rather than a cold empty shell. Therefore, this article describes the connection between contemporary art and architecture, which can be related to human nature. Any kind of art returns to its essence in order to reflect a phenomenon that exists in mass society, and it is displayed to the public to trigger people’s resonance and reflection. Since ancient times, the relationship between architecture and people has been complementary. In the process of designing buildings, people integrate various artistic techniques to make them respond to the site and applicable people. The final design of the building also serves the users in the building, making them feel comfortable and more efficient in completing work and life. Therefore, the art of architecture is ultimately designed and thought around human nature. In recent years, tall buildings have sprung up in cities across China, and gradually every city has its own “CBD” and landmark buildings. However, what we see more often are some cold buildings, some buildings built for the purpose of volume rate and unique shape, which often only design the strange shape shell and then hand it over to the construction party, or low-level copies of master’s design works. These examples are often cold empty shells that cannot make the people living in them feel the warmth brought by the building. I think that there is a lack of artistic and user-oriented architecture in China, rather than focusing on mass production and copying. This may change the lifestyle and quality of life of the public, and realize the humanization of architecture from the perspective of architectural art.

Hudozhestvennye osobennosti i process razvitiya iskusstva igry na cimbalah v Kitae

This article first analyzes the artistic characteristics of Chinese dulcimer performance, and puts forward his own opinions and comments on the practical aesthetic significance of its formal art and the problems that need to be further explored in the process of innovation; secondly, it introduces the development status of Chinese dulcimer, and expounds the development and reform of Chinese dulcimer in terms of genre, performance form, performance skills and body structure. Finally, on this basis, the future development of Chinese dulcimer is prospected.

Metaphors For Designing Modern Products with New Meanings from Cultural Art Features: Insights from Thailand

Metaphors For Designing Modern Products with New Meanings from Cultural Art Features: Insights from Thailand

On the Training of Yangqin's Wheel Tone Technique

The dulcimer is one of China's national musical instruments, and with the development of the times, it is loved by many people. As a representative playing technique, dulcimer wheel sound has its own artistic characteristics and three particularities: linear beauty, tension and other characteristics. representative playing technique, dulcimer wheel sound has its own artistic characteristics and three particularities: linear beauty, tension beauty and emotional beauty. This paper aims to analyze the use of dulcimer wheel tone in music, the problems existing in practice and the corresponding solutions, hoping to provide useful help for the development of dulcimer wheel sound. This paper aims to analyze the use of dulcimer wheel tone in music, the problems existing in practice and the corresponding solutions, hoping to provide useful help for dulcimer beginners to master wheel tone skills.