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The process of Europeization of Turkish culture started in the Tanzimat era embraced more and more spheres of social and cultural life. This spectacular transformation from Islamic to European culture is closely related to the appearance of a new type of intellectuals and artists as a result of a number of reforms in education and society as a whole. The rejection of previous and the acceptance and building of new European model are the main characteristics of transition from one civilization to another. In the field of fine art painting, it means not only applying new techniques, but rather change in the very conception of the world, the attitude of the artist toward the universe, nature and man. This is a process of an internal opposition between the ‘’traditional” and the “modem”. The 1914 Generation of Ibrahim Qalli, Hikmet Onat, Ruhi Arel, Feyhaman Duran, Nazmi Ziya, Namik Ismail, Sarni Yetik among them creates a new qualitative and even revolutionary change in Turkish art. Above all, it is a strive for a new and individual outlook, the stronger expression of the creator himself with a new approach and techniques that were closer to the impressionist and post-impressionist attitude to the world. They had the opportunity to enrich their experience and knowledge in Europe and to acquire a new outlook, or manner of thinking. Destroying the “old” in a revolutionary way they succeeded to ruin also the barriers to the new Modem Turkish art The spread of impressionism in Turkey or a “local” variant of it is due mainly to their efforts and works. What makes them closer to the “belle epoque” is rather the liberation of individuality as a leading principle of their creativeness than specific features of their style. Representing a modernist trend they, however, man aged to keep a balance between “the other” and ‘’the same”, to borrow from European art only what their internal need required and to the ex tent which gives answers to their beliefs and creative principles. The creative works of the “1914 Generation” often named “Turkish impressionism”, shows that the generation of the first Turkish modernists gives a very important impulse that inspired Turkish intellectuals to look for the “new” and the non-traditional. Thus, creators and innovators in the field of art, literature, journalism etc., play a decisive role and contribute to the building of new cultural identity of the Turkish nation at the beginning of 20th century.
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Although intended for the Christian temple, ecclesiastical woodcarving represents compositions influenced by the Folklore and the ancient Eastern mythology. It contains images of sirens, unicorns, centaurs, sphinxes, etc., but the lamias (dragons) are the most interesting among them. They appear on the royal gates, by the Crucifix, on the columns and woodcarving panels, etc. These teratological motifs offer very different mythological-folklore interpretations: the lamias as apotropaic sign, as chtonic creature, representing the great Mother-Earth, as one participant of the dual nature of the world, etc. Only in the late iconosthasis (the end of the 19th century and during the 20 century) the lamia appears according to the orthodox Christian ideas as a symbol of evil or Satan, but that means the end of the great epoch of the ecclesiastical woodcarving and its symbolic importance.
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I have started this research as a response to a pejorative question that religious rituals are merely theatrical, and the personnel involved nothing else but actors; beyond this there is nothing any religion suggests, e.g. healing, divine touch, blessings et.al. This paper is about rituals and their meanings and roles played as in social drama and theatre play. Considering the relationship between ritual and theatre to be reciprocal I will use their functions to evaluate the process of religious ceremonies and the role they play for adherents/participants, as if they would be attending a play. Religious Studies and Drama joint study offers the opportunity to combine two complementary humanities subjects, as both drama and religion are mainstays of cultural practice.
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Sofia Palace of Justice is a largely public building with thousands of people of various backgrounds, mentalities, and dispositions crossing its areas. The monumental decorative artworks in the building are widely accessible to various publics. Ivan Penkov’s stained-glass pieces, found in different places within the building are among the most appealing works in the interior of the Palace. These were topical at the time of their creation, retaining their aesthetical and artistic qualities for posterity. Being a professional, Penkov imparted to his compositions much more symbolism than discernible on the face of it. He carefully wrought each detail impregnating it with a number of connotations. The stained- glass pieces retain the actuality of their messages to this day. One of the elements he has used, for instance, is book. In the stained glasses designed by the artist it becomes a symbol of the eternal and all-embracing knowledge, of primal wisdom and supreme law. Sword is another major element. Combining a sword with a book, the author focuses viewer’s attention on the power, significance, and the rule of law. At the same time he suggests a harsh but just in its essence punishment, meted out to those committing, both wittingly and unwittingly, a breach of law. As a third no less important element Ivan Penkov uses the central part of Bulgaria’s national emblem, seeking to establish Bulgarian national identity through this symbol. Due to being imbued with symbolism, Ivan Penkov’s stained glasses are worth studying and analysing even now.
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Art festivals, particularly in recent years, have participated increasingly actively in the exchange of cultural values in artistic life. An adequate evaluation of their role for the contemporary society requires a more precise definition of their specifics, potential, benefits, and possible adverse consequences. The paper analyses the attempts at classifications of the arts and types of festivals. Using the provided data, a model of a typology of art festivals is proposed. The model takes into account both the achievements of the theoretical apprehension of the arts, and the specifics of the festival practices, which draw energy from various systems of social life.
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The twenty-first century offers contradictory trends to witnesses versed in art, shaping the cultural and social environment in an unadulterated manner. Contemporary consumer society looks on advertisement as the greatest authority. Print advertisement as the most popular ‘genre’ could actually trace the influence of graphic culture on consciousness and society as a whole, the persistence of certain visual examples and the significance to the development of those in a given social environment. The article studies the reasons for which we are witnessing now a revival of retro graphic design, seeking to explain its presence in contemporary cultural environments. The study on graphic art’s similarities and differences includes drawing a parallel between the symbols contained in print advertisement of the nineteenth through the twenty-first centuries, using for the purpose the key image of the press. The main issues to answer are: How have advertisement images developed over the years and what graphic devices have been used to make different suggestions? What is the significance of these images to societies, where these are functioning? Have the metaphors we live with changed and what has survived of them now? What are the differences between the artistic languages used within two centuries and what has prompted the present retro wave?
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This paper deals with part of the dramatic woks by a most tolerated and staged Bulgarian playwright under communism, Todor Manev, who published his plays under the penname Kamen Zidarov. The study focuses on those of his dramatic works that feature the recent past such as “Tsar’s Pardon” (1949), “For the Honour of the Epaulette (1957), etc., rather than on his dramas presenting moments of Bulgarian history that have unfolded in the remote past. Analysing them, the article highlights four main female figures, constructed and functioning in a historical and political context of the coming and development of communism with the ideology and normative aesthetics characteristic of this regime.
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Documentarism is a dominant gene in TV nature. The ‘participation effect‘ on the scene has been part of the immanent specifics of the e-media ever since their advent. It is believed to protect major civil liberties because of ensuring publicity to the processes going in the society and allowing for investigative journalism and media control. The development of technologies and media markets during last decades, however, established the phenomenon of the ‘reality format’, which, in its essence, is a transformation of documentarism into a popular entertainment, replacing its civil significance. This transformation is subject to an overview and analysis in this article.
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Defended PhD theses in Bulgaria in the field of linguistics, literature, history, folklore, ethnography and art studies
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The concept of diversity entails the development of strategies that capitalize on the diverse cultural potential of the members of a heterogeneous group and explores that potential in a constructive way. In principle, this might be a good idea but it runs the risk of binding cultural potentials within so-called multicultural (learners) groups (of pupils) to their origins/descents, thus strengthening positive racism. In contrast, the new concept of identity operates in terms of a plural or fragmented self, or a patchwork biography, in which the individual is no longer bound by the predetermined factors of one’s identity, such as gender, place of residence, profession of parents or origin/descent. Rather, one has to solve the task of constructing one’s identity over and over again throughout one’s whole life, balancing and integrating different senses of cultural belonging. This article presents both concepts referring to multicultural learners/learning groups. It also discusses whether the theoretical base of diversity and identity rule themselves out in the end or whether there are common assumptions, which reflects the precepts of intercultural music education
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This article analyzes hiphop as a multicultural manifestation of the youth culture. Theyouth culture is understood as the content offered for the young generation by the popularculture. It is perceived as the result of complex processes that start with local youth groups,cultural innovations and various rituals. The author describes the beginning of hiphop culture in the urban ethnic dimension and goes on to analyze its core manifestations such as rap, graffiti, and break dance. The author traces ways in which rap, graffiti and break dance were created, interpreted, and assimilated according to the needs of multicultural exemplification of youth’s local identities. This article also indicates the possibility of using elements of hiphop youth culture in the prevention projects realized in multicultural environments.
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