Tip 1: What is elitist culture

Culture and Society

Tip 1: What is elitist culture

It is customary to distinguish three types of culture: popular, elite and mass. At the same time, if the people's culture was formed directly in the people's environment, and the mass culture is understandable and accessible to the broad masses of people, the elite culture is created and consumed only by a narrow circle of the elect. Her language, as a rule, is complex for understanding an unprepared person.

Instructions

Elite culture includes works of differentkinds of art: literature, music, painting, theater, cinema, etc. Since its understanding requires a certain level of preparation, it has a very narrow range of connoisseurs. Not everyone understands the paintings of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, the films of Andrei Tarkovsky and Alexander Sokurov. A special type of thinking is necessary to understand the works of Franz Kafka or the novel by James Joyce "Ulysses". Creators of elite culture, as a rule, do not try to achieve high fees. Much more valuable for them is creative self-realization.

Consumers of elite culture are peopleWith a high educational level and a developed aesthetic taste. Many of them themselves are the creators of works of art or their professional researchers. First of all, we are talking about writers, artists, musicians, art critics, literary and art critics. Also in this circle are connoisseurs and connoisseurs of art, regular visitors to museums, theaters and concert halls.

In this case, products of the same speciesArt can belong to both elite and popular culture. For example, classical music refers to an elite culture, and popular music to the mass, Tarkovsky's films to the elite, and Indian melodramas to the mass, etc. At the same time, there are literary genres that always refer to popular culture and are unlikely to ever become elite. Among them - detectives, ladies' novels, humorous stories and satirical articles.

Sometimes there are curious examples of howworks related to the elite culture, can, under certain conditions, go into the category of the mass. For example, Bach's music is undoubtedly the phenomenon of elite culture, but if it is used as a musical accompaniment to the program of figure skating, it automatically turns into a product of mass culture. Or a completely opposite example: many of Mozart's works for his time were, most likely, "light music" (ie could be attributed to mass culture). And now they are perceived, rather, as belonging to the elite.

Most works of elite cultureInitially are of an avant-garde or experimental nature. They use artistic means, which will become understandable to mass consciousness after several decades. Sometimes experts even call the exact term - 50 years. In other words, samples of elite culture for half a century ahead of their time.

Tip 2: What is classical music

The term "classical music" is sometimes interpretedExtremely wide. It includes not only the creations of outstanding composers of the past, but also the world-famous hits of popular performers. Nevertheless, there is a strictly authentic meaning of "classics" in music.

In the narrow sense of classical music is calledquite a short period in the history of this art, namely, the XVIII century. The first half of the eighteenth century was marked by the work of such outstanding composers as Bach and Handel. The principles of classicism as the construction of a work in strict accordance with the canons developed in his works Bach. His fugue became a classical - that is, exemplary - form of musical creativity. And after Bach's death, a new stage in the history of music associated with the names of Haydn and Mozart opens. The difficult and heavy sound was replaced by lightness and harmony of melodies, grace and even some coquetry. And yet, it is still a classic: in his creative search Mozart sought to find the ideal form. Beethoven's works represent a junction of the classical and romantic tradition. In his music, passions and feelings become much more than the rational canon. During this period of formation of the European musical tradition, the main genres were formed: opera, symphony, suite, sonata. Broad interpretation of the term "classical music" implies the work of composers of past eras, which stood the test of time and became the standard for other authors. Sometimes by classical music means music for symphonic instruments. The most clear (though not widespread) is the definition of classical music as authoritative, clearly spelled out and implying performance within the given framework. However, some researchers urge not to confuse academic (that is, clamped in certain frames and rules) and classical music. In the evaluation approach to defining classics as the highest achievements in the history of music, possible casuistry is hidden. Who is the best? Is it possible to classify to the classics of jazz masters, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and other recognized authors and performers? On the one hand, yes. This is exactly what we do when we call their works exemplary. But on the other hand, in pop-jazz music there is no strictness of the author's musical text, characteristic of the classics. In it, on the contrary, everything is based on improvisation and original arrangements. In this between the classical (academic) music and the modern post-jazz school lies a fundamental difference.

Tip 3: What is Culture

Culture Has several definitions. Sometimes this word denotes varieties of domesticated plants. Often, culture is synonymous with the moral and spiritual development of man. But more often culture encompasses the entire spectrum of a person's life.

Culture - this is, first of all, traditions and art. The word itself comes from Latin "cultivation, veneration." Culture reflects the meaning of the life of this or that people. It conveys in the material products and human behavior the entire spectrum of the views of the people on the very existence of the world and of mankind. And she alone can give exhaustive answers to all questions about the disappeared ethnoses. It can be judged on the level not only spiritual, but also the technical development of a nation or state. In the Ancient World and the early Middle Ages, the main and almost sole source of cultural development was religion. Even the busts of ancient Greek and Roman eminent personalities were created to perpetuate, create the appearance of the immortality of people. Fear of death forced to seal the living on a rock, as if moving away from the transition to eternity. Various totems also carried a cultural load. Only people of modern times have learned to see in wooden logs of a thousand years ago not gods and demons, but objects of historical value. Items that demonstrate the cultural and moral level of the people worshiping the idol. Later, culture began to separate from religion. But until now they are closely related. The high spiritual and moral level of religious peoples demonstrates the same high level of culture. The reverse rule also works. Countries that depart from the faith and plunge into the abyss of indifference and indifference lose the brightness of the cultural reproduction of the meaning of their being. They seem to return to the historical and moral plane of the Ancient World. When a person had a very meager number of vital interests. This can be seen in the case of many modern countries. Playing with bright colors and glistening with diverse ideas in the past, the art of such countries is today in a catastrophic decline. The general cultural level will fall, illiteracy and indifference develop. And, probably, only a return to historical values can prevent a cultural catastrophe.

Tip 4: What is Classical Literature

There are several types of literature, each of which has its own characteristics. So, classical literature is understood as works that are considered exemplary for this or that epoch.

History of the term

Classical literature is quite extensiveconcept, since works of different epochs and genres belong to this type. These are generally recognized works, considered exemplary for the epochs in which they were written. Many of them are included in the compulsory school curriculum. The concept of classics in literature developed in the last three centuries of the antiquity period. Then it designated certain writers, who for various reasons were considered models and examples to follow. One of the first such classics was the ancient Greek poet Homer - the author of the Iliad and Odyssey. In the 5th and 8th centuries AD. there was a list of authors of texts that determined the theories and norms transmitted in the learning process. In different schools, this canon was minimal. Gradually this list was replenished with new names, among which were representatives of the pagan and Christian faith. These authors have become a cultural property of the public, imitated and quoted.

The modern meaning of the concept

During the Renaissance, European writersturned their eyes to the authors of antiquity, due to the liberation of secular culture from the excessive pressure of the church. The result of this in literature was the era of classicism, in which it became fashionable to imitate ancient Greek playwrights such as Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides, and follow the canons of classical drama. Then the term "classical literature" in the narrow sense began to mean all of the ancient literature. In a broader sense, any work that created the canon in its genre began to be called classical. For example, there is a classic of the era of modernism, the era of romanticism, realism, etc. There is a notion of domestic and foreign, as well as world classics. Thus, the recognized classics of Russian literature in Russia are A.S. Pushkin, F.M. Dostoevsky, etc. As a rule, in the history of literature of different countries and nations there is an age in which the artistic literature has acquired the greatest expression, and such a century is called classical. There is an opinion that the work acquires public recognition, when it carries "eternal values", something that is relevant for all times, encourages the reader to think about some common human problems. The classics remain in history and are contrasted with works-one-days, which eventually become forgotten.

Tip 5: What is art culture

The ability of a person to emotionally-sensualperception of reality and to artistic creativity prompted him to express his experiences figuratively, with the help of colors, lines, words, sounds, etc. This contributed to the emergence of artistic culture in a broad sense.

What is included in the concept

Art culture is one of the spheressocial culture. Its essence is the creative reflection of being (nature, society and its life activity) in artistic images. It has important functions, such as the formation of aesthetic perception and consciousness of people, the transfer of social values, norms, knowledge and experience, and recreational function (rest and recovery of people). As a system, it includes: - art as such (individual and group), works and artistic values - organizational infrastructure: institutions that ensure the development, preservation, dissemination of artistic culture, creative organizations, educational institutions, demonstration sites, etc. - the spiritual atmosphere in society - the perception of art, the public interest in artistic and creative activity, art, public policy in this area. mass, popular, elite artistic culture; artistic and aesthetic aspects of various types of activities (political, economic, legal); Regional art subcultures; artistic subcultures of youth and professional associations, etc. It manifests itself not only in art, but also in everyday life and in material production, when a person attaches to the objects of practical and utilitarian purpose created by him expressiveness and attractiveness, realizing his need for aesthetics and beauty, in creativity. In addition to the material sphere and physical objects, it also concerns the spiritual sphere.

Art culture in a narrow sense

The core of artistic culture isprofessional and domestic art. This includes painting, graphics, sculpture, literature, music, dance, architecture, theater, cinema, circus, arts and crafts, art photography. Within each of these types of art are created art works - paintings, sculptures, books, films, performances, etc. In them people through images transmit their subjective vision of the world. Art is an important means of knowing the person and the world around him. It promotes the assimilation of the experience of people in society, the perception of collective moral values and attitudes.

Tip 6: Who are the Geishas

Geish is often confused with courtesans, actresses. Geisha combines all the qualities of a woman's nature, thanks to which a man next to them feels exalted and winged.

Geisha - a bright feature of Japanese culture

The meaning of a geisha in Japanese culture

Literally from a Japanese geisha translates as"Man of art", because it consists of two hieroglyphs, one of which stands for the word "man", the other "art". Already from the etymology of the word, one can guess that geishas are not Japanese courtesans. For the latter in the Japanese language there are separate words - jyo, yujo. Geisha perfectly mastered the art of being a woman. They raised the spirit of men, creating an atmosphere of joy, ease and emancipation. They achieved this thanks to songs, dances, jokes (often with erotic overtones), a tea ceremony that geishas showed in male companies along with a casual conversation. Geisha entertained men both at secular events and on personal meetings. At the tete-a-tete meeting, there was also no place for intimate relationships. Geisha can have sex with her patron, who deprived her of virginity. For geishas, this is a ritual called mizu-aye, which accompanies the transition from a student, maiko, to a geisha. If a geisha is getting married, then she must leave the profession. Before leaving, she sends out a box of cooked rice to her clients, a patron, teachers, informing them of a break in communication with them. Externally, geisha have a distinctive make-up with a thick layer of powder and bright red lips that make a woman's face look like a mask, and also Ancient high, lush hair. Traditional clothes are geisha kimono, the main colors of which are black, red and white.

Modern Geisha

It is believed that the geisha profession appeared in the cityKyoto in the XVII century. Quarters of the city where the geisha houses are located are called khanamati ("flower streets"). There is a school for girls, where they are taught from seven to eight years of singing, dancing, conducting a tea ceremony, playing the national Japanese instrument, shamisen, talking with a man, and also teaching how to make up and put on a kimono - everything that needs to know and To be able to geisha. When in the seventies of the XIX century the capital of Japan was transferred to Tokyo, the notable Japanese moved there, which made up the bulk of the geisha clients. To save their craft from the crisis, geisha festivals were held, which are held at certain intervals in Kyoto and became his visiting card. After World War II, Japan was captured by a mass culture, leaving behind the Japanese national traditions. The number of geishas has significantly decreased, but those who stayed faithful to the profession, consider themselves the keepers of true Japanese culture. Many continue to follow the old way of life of the geisha completely, some only partially. But to be in the company of a geisha still remains the prerogative of the elite strata of the population.