Nature Of Art Research Articles

The Role of Fashion and Art in First Nations Healing, Decolonisation, and Cultural Practice

This paper explores the intersection of art, fashion, and decolonisation within First Nations communities, focusing on how clothing and adornment are powerful tools for healing, cultural survival, and resistance. Through art programs, fashion workshops, and community-based projects, First Nations peoples reconnect with culture, land, and history, fostering identity and continuity while addressing the traumas of colonisation. This paper examines how First Nations artists and designers engage with traditional garments, such as kangaroo skin cloaks and shell necklaces, to reclaim ancestral practices and challenge colonial traumas. By reinterpreting colonial clothes and creating new forms of fashion, artists engage in truth-telling, amplify resilience, and promote reconciliation. This paper highlights the role of art and fashion as an aesthetic expression and a strategy for cultural survival and resistance. It concludes by offering recommendations for policies and programs that support First Nations fashion initiatives, fostering economic opportunities, social well-being, and intergenerational healing. Ultimately, this paper advocates for the transformative power of art and fashion as pathways to decolonisation and empowerment for First Nations communities.

Arnis in Physical Activities Towards Health and Fitness (Pathfit) 3 and 4 Courses: A Deep Dive into Faculty Experiences in Teaching Arnis

Filipino Martial Arts (FMA), or Arnis, embodies the rich martial arts heritage of the Philippines, utilizing various weapons for combat and self-defense (Martin et al., 2018). Recognized as the national martial art and sport through Republic Act 9850 in 2009, Arnis has since gained a formal place in education. This study explores faculty experiences teaching Arnis in Physical Activities Towards Health and Fitness (PATHFit) 3 and 4 courses across colleges and universities in Central Luzon (Region III). Employing Colaizzi's 7-step phenomenological technique, with data gathered through interviews and audio-visual recordings, the study uncovers five key themes: (1) The Pedagogical and Cultural Significance of Including Arnis in the Curriculum (2) Enhancing Student Safety and Holistic Development through Arnis (3) Fostering Social Connections, Personal Growth, and Cultural Integration through Arnis (4) Addressing Challenges and Promoting Engagement in Arnis Education and, (5) Enhancing the Teaching and Promotion. Findings revealed that Arnis education transcends physical instruction, fostering cultural pride, resilience, and personal growth among educators and students. Faculty members experienced professional transformation, adopting innovative teaching methods to sustain cultural heritage while addressing modern educational demands. For students, integrating Arnis into PATHFit courses boosted confidence, discipline, and community involvement, strengthening their cultural identity. This study underscores the significance of Arnis as a culturally relevant educational tool that bridges traditional practices with contemporary fitness education. The findings advocate for the development of dynamic, culturally inclusive curricula and faculty training programs, ensuring the sustained relevance of Arnis in academic and societal contexts. By preserving this martial art, educators can inspire both personal development and community cohesion, reinforcing Arnis as a symbol of Filipino identity.

“Le Musiciste” Study Days for an Education in and the Spread of a Stolen Story

The initiative of the study days dedicated to the history of female musicians, now in its ninth edition, came to light in 2015 due to the need to raise awareness of and re-evaluate the female identity of a social, cultural and artistic nature often forgotten by European musical historiography. The ban on performing in public after marriage, the preclusion from musical positions and careers, the lack of public institutions that permitted the creation of educational pathways for women equal to those of the other sex, have all conditioned the development of female musical art and sometimes even leading to its obsolescence even though many women were protagonists, authoritative professionals and attentive witnesses of the musical society of their time. This legacy, which determined the cancellation of an important artistic legacy from the collective memory, and come down to the present day, can be reversed only thanks to a thorough knowledge of the female contribution to the music of the past and present.

Chronic mastitis or breast cancer in The Charity by Francesco Salviati? An educational discussion

In the present communication, the painting La Carità (The Charity) by Francesco de Rossi, also known as Salviati (1510-1563), is examined from a multidisciplinary perspective, combining the following disciplines: human anatomy, palaeopathology and history of art. In the impossibility to establish a final diagnosis due to the artistic nature of the artwork, the anatomical alterations found on the iconographic representation are discussed in light of two alternative hypotheses, namely chronic mastitis or breast cancer. Once more the intersection between medicine and art can be found to be of excellent use both for increasing the ancient record of diseases and in an educational effort to train the eye of future physicians.

КУЛЬТУРНО-МИСТЕЦЬКИЙ ПРОСТІР ВІННИЧЧИНИ: НОВІ ФОРМАТИ ВЗАЄМОДІЇ З АУДИТОРІЄЮ В РЕАЛІЯХ ВОЄННОГО СТАНУ

The article, based on theoretical research, analyzes the current situation and directions of the development of culture and art of Vinnytsia region in the realities of martial law. The specificity of the war in Ukraine as a phenomenon that occurs not only in the physical, but also in the cultural and artistic space is determined. It is noted that the cultural and artistic space is an effective tool in the war, because the ability to influence the audience, inspire Victory, and help to feel complicity in historical events is integrated into the music, song, and theatrical art itself. The article reveals the powerful ideological potential of the cultural and artistic space of Vinnytsia, which is realized through an artistic and emotional form. It is emphasized that a de-Russification took place on the territory of the cultural and artistic space of Vinnytsia, which affected the language of performance and the ideological content of concert programs, creative events, and theatrical productions. Instead of Russian content, artists promote national art, perform works of Ukrainian classics and modern composers, promote modern Ukrainian poetry. One of the positive results of such activity can be considered the distancing of the Vinnytsia community from the Russian cultural space, the growth of interest in Ukrainian-language content in general. In this context, the main areas of activity of the leading regional centers of culture and arts, creative collectives and institutions of Vinnytsia Region, which work under martial law conditions, were investigated, in particular: the Vinnytsia Regional Philharmonic named after M. D. Leontovych, the Vinnytsia Academic Music and Drama Theater named after Mykola Sadovskyi, the Vinnytsia Regional Academic Puppet Theater, the «Pirogov Sky» open-air cultural and artistic space, the «Shchedryk» creative space, the «Kvadrat» youth center, and the prospects for their further development are outlined. The theoretical research gave grounds for the conclusion that the cultural and artistic space of Vinnytsia in the realities of war is actively introducing new forms of interaction with the audience. It has become not only an entertainment, but also an educational and intellectual-educational environment that effectively influences society by promoting national art. Being an effective means of communication, the cultural and artistic space of the region also unites people, creates positive emotions in them, and returns Ukrainians to normal life in the new military reality.

The Philippines as tool-forged nation: Revisiting Nick Joaquin’s use of Marshall McLuhan’s Medium Theory to reconstruct colonial history

In his 2004 essay, “Culture as History,” the late National Artist for Literature, Nick Joaquin, retold the colonial history of the Philippines through Marshall McLuhan’s medium theory, framed in the famous aphorism “the medium is the message.” Joaquin followed McLuhan’s thought by positing that technology is behind the metamorphosis of the Philippines. Accordingly, this metamorphosis occurred between the 16th and 17th centuries with the arrival of tools, like the plow, from Spain that enabled the colonized subjects to improve their lot and forge their identity as Filipinos. Joaquin and McLuhan’s thoughts, conjoined in the former’s essay, steered colonial history away from nationalistic currents, via objects, artefacts, or technology, towards a narrative of a tool-forged nation. This paper examines Joaquin’s suppositions on Philippine history by inquiring into the central role of technology in colonization and its contestation. By revisiting Joaquin and McLuhan’s theories on technology, this essay delves into the challenge of understanding colonial history and the opportunities they offer for theorizing technology and society.

Semiotic Analysis of Education Oriented Poster Designs

Posters have been created by combining drawing, color, photography and typography elements, and today they have become a communication tool that has gained both aesthetic and functional qualities. The aim of poster designs is to raise awareness about societal issues. This communication tool reflects the characteristics of the target audience with its messages in line with certain principles, while also creating a functional form according to its subject. There are different methods to analyze poster designs, and semiotics is one of these methods. Semiotics systematically interprets and reveals sub-texts by analyzing and interpreting signs underlying images. Within the scope of the study; semiotics was handled under certain headings and analyses were made on educational posters of international and national artists and Ferdinand de Saussure 's method was used. The examples selected for analysis consist of four posters from a juried design competition held in 2011 under the theme of “Right to Education” addressing the topic of education from various perspectives. In line with the analyses, it has been determined that the semiotic analysis method can provide clearer data. In addition to this, the importance of using this analyses has been revealed with the method used in the research.

General trends in the transformation of traditional spiritual art in the culture of Ukraine

The purpose of this article is to examine compre-hensive trends in the transformation of traditional spiritual art of Ukraine. Academic research of this issue will help to reveal the development trajectory of traditional spiritual art in Ukrainian culture. An academic resolution of the defined issue will help to reveal the developmental trajectory of traditional art in the context of the interconnection between the established traditions and innovative processes.The main methodological tool for the study of the mentioned problem consists of summarizing the experience of empirical and theoretical research on specific aspects of the development of traditional art in Ukraine.The result of the research presented in the article. This study outlines the main patterns in the transformations of traditional spiritual art among the population of Ukraine, spanning from ancient times to the present, in the context of the interconnection between tradition and innovative processes. Until the advent of the modern era, the most distinct artistic artifacts in the traditional spiritual culture of this region’s inhabitants conveyed the creators’ reflections on phenomena of the “higher” world through artistic forms. However, at each stage of the traditional spiritual art development, various challenges arose, prompting transformations. Notably, throughout the XX century, these changes accelerated significantly. Since the late 1920s, due to the impact of Bolshevik ideology on rural culture, its spiritual component also began gradually evolve, particularly in the eastern and central regions of our country, comparing to previous decades. Ukraine’s attainment of independence and the removal of ideological barriers imposed by the Soviet regime significantly expanded intercultural connections and partnerships between Ukrainian artists and their international counterparts. The beginning of the XXI century was marked, on the one hand, by the expansion and deepening of globalization processes, which lead to the unification of various aspects of social and cultural life and substantially contribute to crises surrounding national identity. In contrast, there has been a growing interest in the unique features of Ukrainian culture and an effort to adapt the traditions of national art to new conditions.The process of transformation is also examined within the system of art’s functioning, with a notable emphasis on the activation of its sacred and prestige-reputational functions.The scientific novelty. The scientific novelty of this publication lies in the attempt to present a comprehensive view of certain aspects of folk-art existence, highlighting the unity and interconnection of its traditional characte-ristics and innovations.The practical significance. The results of this study can be used in the educational process for teaching courses within the fields of cultural studies and art history.

Conflict and Fusion Between Graffiti Mural and Public Space

Public space plays a crucial role in the development of graffiti mural arts, and the integration of graffiti murals into public spaces is inevitable. The publicity of murals often conflicts with the expressive nature of graffiti artists. Graffiti artists struggle to find a sense of belonging in public space unless their artistic ideas are elevated to the mainstream or public will. However, once these artistic ideas align with the mainstream, graffiti murals may lose some of their original rebellious spirit. This paper primarily discusses this issue and attempts to find feasible solutions.

Органное искусство Казахстана в 1975–1999 годы: история, органология и исполнительская практика

The organ, despite the predominance of modern creative experiments, continues to attract the attention of both professional musicians and music lovers. Organ art offers a unique experience, preserving its importance in the musical culture of modern Kazakhstan. The three components of the national organ art including organology, composing and performance have not previously been considered within a single cultural and historical paradigm and have not been subjected to comprehensive scientific analysis and deep artistic understanding. The organ school of Kazakhstan has passed through three stages of formation and development (1967–1974, 1975–1999, 2000 – until now). This article thoroughly examines the second stage (1975–1999) of the development of organ culture in the republic. Particular attention is paid to the evolution of the Kazakh organ school, and the classification of existing musical instruments from the standpoint of their structure, as well as the study of the organ repertoire of national composers, taking into account the diversity of genres and stylistic patterns. The process of integrating organ art into Kazakh music culture required a special approach. It was caused by the fact that national music has historically been orientated towards instruments with a completely different sound, such as dombra, kobyz and zhetigen. In this regard, local composers endeavored to create original organ works by merging European polyphonic writing with melodic and rhythmic structures inherent to Kazakh folk music and its instrumentation. To solve the designated range of issues in the study, a methodology that includes historical, analytical and genre-style methods, as well as the generalization of archival data, has become decisive. A comprehensive approach has been taken to generalize the path traversed by organ culture in the twentieth century in all the diversity of the most important trends and directions. The relevance of the study is conditioned not only by the rarity of such works in the context of the selected region, but also by the continuing interest in the organ heritage as an element of intercultural dialogue. The material of the article is determined by the possibility of applying the conclusions and results obtained in scientific research on the history of organ performance, instrumentology, history of Kazakh music, as well as in the creative activity of performers and composers of Kazakhstan.

Research on the Innovative Design of Yunnan Intangible Cultural Heritage tile cat Image

Driven by the development of modern design and the need for the protection of intangible cultural heritage, the innovative application of the image of tile cat has become an important topic to promote the inheritance of national culture. Based on the traditional image of tile cat, this study analyzes its cultural symbolic meaning and artistic characteristics in Yunnan, and explores its application form and value in contemporary design. The main purpose of this study is to explore the innovative path of tile cat in modern art design by exploring the symbolic connotation and artistic style of tile cat, so as to promote the modern expression of national traditional art. The research methods include literature analysis, field research and image analysis, revealing the potential application value of tile cat shape in graphic design, cultural and creative products and public space decoration, and trying to find a concrete path suitable for the innovative design of tile cat image, and propose a design framework combined with current design trends. The study shows that the unique shape and cultural symbolism of tile cat are not only suitable for symbolic processing and artistic innovation, but also have strong market potential. Therefore, it is proposed to integrate the image of tile cat into modern design through design strategies such as element extraction, symbol transformation and scene application, which not only retains the national cultural characteristics but also meets the contemporary aesthetic needs. This study provides innovative ideas for the inheritance of Yunnan tile cats in modern art design, and puts forward practical suggestions for the inheritance and revitalization of national art in the contemporary environment, providing a reference for promoting the innovative development of China's traditional national culture.

History and Evolution of the Folk Tale Genre Through the Prism of Reflection of the World of the People

A fairy tale, as one of the folklore genres, is a traditionally orally transmitted work of an artistic nature. She is influenced by a general oral-poetic character, which will determine the collectiv of the author's beginning, the traditionality of the artistic components of the narrative, the typification of all the characters represented in the dynamics of action, and not the dynamics of the psychological development of the image. The «setting on fiction», which is realized in the fantastic elements of the narrative and the displacement of the image plan to the unreal, became specific to the genre itself; the individual inclusion of the author-creator in the selection of those compositional and artistic techniques and methods that are personally sympathetic to him. The amount of fiction in fairy tales depends on the degree of remoteness from reality, which leads to genre differentiation into fairy tales, household and tales of animals. The article proceeds from the fact that the problem of reflecting the popular understanding of the surrounding world in a folk tale still exists in literary studies, and also requires a comprehensive interpretation of textual material. The aspect of social life is reflected in household tales, demonstrating the views of the people on class stratification. The plots are based on the extreme sharpening of conflict situations, exposing the parasitism of the clergy, the exploitative attitude of the nobility in generalized images. In the second type, there are intersperses of household traditions, wedding customs, as well as relationships within the patriarchal family and contradictions in it. Based on the fact that the history of the appearance of fairy tales as a folklore genre originates from mythological views of the world, it becomes possible to create tales of animals. They bear historical evidence of the prevailing totemic and the further decline of mythological consciousness, which reduces the sacred image to an allegorical representation of human character. The fairy tale captures the reinterpretation of rituals unnatural to the folk worldview, reveals the idea of dividing reality into the afterlife and the world of the living.

South Africa at the Tate: Searching for a National School and a National Identity

On 20 September 1948 the Exhibition of Contemporary South African Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture opened at the Tate Gallery in London. It was organised by the newly formed national arts body, the South African Association of Arts, generously sponsored by the newly elected apartheid government, and hailed to be the first representative exhibition of South African art ever to be held abroad. Beyond its size and position at the Tate, it might, in retrospect, easily be relegated to the status of just a provincial collection of mildly avant-garde work reflecting the European influence and tutelage that most of the artists received. However, a considered study will show that it was a watershed moment for the politics of national art and representation, and for getting South African artists onto an international stage. By considering its local context, the selection process and the local and international responses to this exhibition, this article will provide an assessment of the concerted efforts made by an underdeveloped, colonial art world to promote and export a ‘national’ South African school abroad. It will highlight the exhibition’s critical position in the early development of a local South African art world in four aspects: first, the Tate exhibition evidenced the South African art world’s debut on the international art stage; second, it signified a local shift from privileging European art to preferring South African art; third, it hinted at the advancement in the South African art world toward modernism from academic art; and fourth, but not least, it raised issues of a national art to a national consciousness. Ultimately, the exhibition engendered a prominent public discourse about national art, national identity and representativeness that reached a general audience beyond the art world.

디지털 전환 시대 미술과에서 디지털 리터러시 교육을 위한 프레임워크 제안

In the era of digital transformation, discussions on digital literacy are actively progressing; however, a comprehensive and systematic concept of digital literacy within art education remains limited. Addressing this gap, this study aimed to develop a digital literacy framework specifically for art education and to define the essential digital competencies needed from the perspective of art education in the digital age. This study focused on the digital literacy framework proposed by Kim et al.(2023) and analyzed it in alignment with the achievement standards outlined in the 2022 rev. Korean National Art Curriculum for elementary to high school levels. Based on this analysis, this study developed the digital literacy framework for art subject that includes 3 major domains, 6 detailed components, 13 learning elements, and 24 specific learning items. Additionally, this study provided learning activities and guiding questions for each school level to strengthen the structure of the digital literacy framework. This study was significant for proposing and providing the systematic digital literacy framework for art education that is applicable across all school levels.

2022 개정 교육과정에서 미술과 서술형·논술형 평가의 교육적 의의 및 적용 방향성

To actively respond to the diversifying modern society, the ability to accept and utilize new knowledge creatively and critically is required, and the perspective on teaching methods and evaluation is changing accordingly. In particular, it is pointed out that it is difficult to adequately measure learners' understanding with the existing multiple-choice, short-answer, question-based evaluation. In Korea, descriptive type and essay type assessments are stipulated in the curriculum. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the direction of application of descriptive type and essay type assessments to the field of art education. To this end, the educational significance of these assessments was examined, and the contents related to descriptive type and essay type assessments were analyzed in the 2022 revised national art curriculum. As a result, it was confirmed that descriptive type and essay type assessments in the national art curriculum are useful in measuring students' advanced thinking skills such as analytical ability, critical ability, judgment, problem-solving ability, and creativity, and through this, it can lead to a virtuous cycle as a teaching method that can cultivate critical thinking skills. The significance of the study lies in the fact that such conclusions suggest a direction for future descriptive type and essay type assessments.

A New Higher Education Model in Nation-Building: The Republic of Vietnam’s Liberal Arts Education and Its Performances during the Vietnam War (1965–1975)

ABSTRACT This study examines liberal arts education model influences in Vietnam’s higher education throughout the Vietnam War (1965–1975). Liberal arts education advanced due to the necessity to match market norms and unite qualified people to oppose communism, as well as US specialists. This research article uses source materials from the former Republic of Vietnam and previous studies to identify two major elements of national liberal arts education. First, South Vietnamese educators stressed academic independence, which allowed students to critically think about varied views and widen their worldview. Second, community colleges combined liberal arts and pre-professional courses to stress educational practicality and social duty. South Vietnamese students were civically responsible and dedicated to research and innovation. However, the Vietnamese Civil War, declining financial backing and international recognition, and internal discord concerning this paradigm hampered the collective attempt to embody the Republic of Vietnam’s liberal arts education during the war.

Nadezhda Dobychina (1884–1950)

Abstract The opening of the first commercial art gallery in Russia by Nadezhda Dobychina (1884–1950) heralded surprising female dominance in the national art business sector, which appears even more remarkable considering that up until the early 1910s art dealers were virtually absent from the archaically pre-capitalistic Russian art market. On that account Dobychina’s Art Bureau, which opened in St. Petersburg in October 1911 was an entirely pioneering business project. Dobychina laid the groundwork for several innovative approaches which foreshadowed many aspects of modern gallery practice. Exhibitions in her Art Bureau were accompanied by talks, disputes, concerts and performances, bringing artists and public in a close contact with each other and thus providing a useful forum for the exchange of views and ideas. Dobychina’s Art Bureau aimed at showcasing the most original and distinctive artistic trends in Russia and abroad, ranging from realism, symbolism and post- impressionism to provocatively cutting-edge avant-garde. In a short span of less than a decade she organised the first exhibitions in Russia of Wassily Kandinsky and Marc Chagall and famously exhibited Malevich’s Black Square in the ground-breaking 0.10 exhibition, which was held at the Bureau in 1915. Over the years Dobychina has also assembled an important collection which included works of the World of Art and Avant-garde artists. The Art Bureau emerged as the most influential and ideologically independent centre of the contemporary art in Russia, which in turn secured artistic dialogue between Russia and Western Europe.

Multi-analytical study for the art historical science: The mystery of the “Portrait of a young man in a wide-brimmed hat with a feather”

In this work, we performed a comprehensive spectroscopic analysis of the “Portrait of a Young Man in a Wide-Brimmed Hat with a Feather” authored by an unknown artist and housed in the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus. Previously this portrait was a part of the Myatlev collection (St. Petersburg, Russia). Extensive analysis, including microscopic examination, X-ray radiography, luminescent studies, and complex multi-analytical studies of the chemical composition of art materials allowed us to suggest the dating and attribution of the painting. Laser-induced breakdown spectrometry (LIBS), Fourier transform Infrared spectrometry (FTIR) and Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) were also used. Gold nanoparticles in toluene were used to enhance the signal of Raman scattering, enabling the unambiguous identification of pigments within the painting layers of the historical object.Moreover, we discovered the portrait of another person on the same canvas under the top layer of paint. A comparative analysis of grounds and painting materials did not reveal significant differences in the technological features of both images. Therefore, we can assume that both portraits were created in the same historical period and followed the traditions of the same art school. Lead white, bone black, red, yellow and brown ochres as well as lapis lazuli were identified as the pigments.The results obtained do not contradict to art critics hypothesis that the underlying painting is the portrait of King of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth11The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was established as a single entity by the Union of Lublin in 1569. It existed until 1795. Wladislaw IV Vasa created in the first half of XVII century. Then, it became the base for a new painting, which might be a self-portrait of the king’s illegitimate son Count Vasenau and was created in the middle of XVII century.

Understanding China’s infrastructure activities in Africa through artistic practice and exhibition

The infrastructure-led development model initiated by China under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has faced domestic and international challenges. By focusing on a national travelling art exhibition featuring Chinese railway construction in Africa in 2023, this paper examines the role that curatorial and exhibition practices can play in (re)shaping public geopolitical understandings of China-Africa relations. Exhibiting over 200 artworks collected from both China and Africa, this art programme not only forms a nuanced, personal and storied narrative of China’s overseas development work in Africa but also tactically responds to current internal and external criticism of the Chinese government’s global ambitions channelled through the BRI. This work extends the ongoing interest geographers have at the intersection of the visual arts and critical geopolitics.

Portuguese cinema and its discontents: a view from the film archive

ABSTRACT The article revisits the main arguments and underlying premises of the protracted debate on ‘national art cinema’ that has shaped Portuguese film studies for many decades. Drawing on international scholarly work on national cinemas and on my own experience as a researcher in the National Archive of the Moving Images (ANIM) of the Portuguese Cinematheque (Cinemateca Portuguesa – Museu do Cinema), I argue for a definition of ‘Portuguese cinema’ that takes into account the vast collections of non-fiction films that have been excluded from this debate. My proposal entails a shift away from prescriptive to descriptive understandings of Portuguese cinema, thus recognising its diversity, in the past as well as in the present. I therefore endorse a conception of national cinema that takes heed of wider and deeper historical processes, international ‘constellations’ and other (often contested or unacknowledged) traditions and practices. The argument builds on the analysis of Adriano Ramos Pinto – Vinho do Porto (attributed title), a short non-fiction utility film made in the late 1930s that belongs to ANIM’s holdings.