Xia Yan and the Chinese School of Film

A revolutionary, film theorist, and screenwriter, Xia Yan (1900–1995) is known as one of the pioneers of Chinese cinema. Xia’s pursuit of a national style and international status for Chinese cinema and his aspirations for the prosperity of the Chinese nation are in line with the basic ideas and goals of the nascent “Chinese School of Film.” In the context of the under-theorized and problematic production practices of current Chinese cinema, it is high time to revisit Xia’s professional and academic contributions to cinematic art, which shed light on the construction of both the “Chinese School of Film” and “shared aesthetics.”

Ukrainian font: origins, stages of formation, stylistic features

The purpose of the article is to highlight the peculiarities of the establishment of the Ukrainian font and analysis of the interaction of formative and figurative features in the retrieval system of national style. The methodology is built according to the general principles of art history of scientific knowledge based on system-analytical, complex-historical, formal approaches, and generalization. The scientific novelty lies in the revelation of visual and communicative aspects and artistic and stylistic features of the Ukrainian font within the context of a comprehensive definition of the factors of its formation and development. Conclusion. The perspective of the development of the modern Ukrainian font is outlined, which lies in the assertion of the national component based on the stable foundation of the past, the contradictions of evolution, and the formation of its new forms and models. The special role of the Ukrainian font as a means of visual communication with a high level of perception by native speakers of the Ukrainian language is determined. The positive effect of using accidental fonts in order to embody Ukrainian authentic folk traditions has been revealed. Keywords: Ukrainian font, national style, writing, font graphics, visual communication, perception.

Inspiracje Grigorija G. Gagarina i jego rola w procesie kształtowania stylu rosyjsko - -bizantyńskiego w architekturze dziewiętnastowiecznego Imperium Rosyjskiego – zarys zagadnienia

The paper represents an attempt to outline Grigory G. Gagarin’s artistic interests and his influence on creating one of the national style variants in the 19th -century Russian Empire: the Russian -Byzantine style. This article is not only a selection of theoretician’s quotes, but also an attempt to create an appropriate background and clear context for his theses. Moreover, the paper is to constitute a coherent outline of his thoughts having an impact on the creating of the national style and the search for architectural inspiration from selected periods of history. An interesting fact is that because of Gagarin’s first attempts to develop consistent norms and determinants of inspiration, among others, for architects and artists, he created foundations to formulate in the future a clear theoretical assumption of the Russian -Byzantine style. What is more, the theoretician did not avoid the confrontation of Russian art with Western European culture. Gagarin tried to not only indicate the relationships between the evolution of specific styles in art and architecture, but also their mutual influences and consequences. In the paper’s narration another important thread in the theoretician’s activity is also mentioned: his attitude to the cultural heritage of the North and South Caucasus. In the 19th century, the region’s territories formed the southwestern borders of the Russian Empire, and moreover they were the destinations of Gagarin’s diplomatic activities for the Romanov dynasty and the Russian Empire. The paper is an introduction to further research not only into Gagarin’s position in the process of creating the national style in the Russian Empire in the19th century. Furthermore, the research will bring up his functioning in the Western European artistic-cultural society of that time and his attempts to find mutual inspiration in Western and Eastern Europe.

Architectural image of the Motherland: Saint Petersburg and Budapest

The article compares the prerequisites of “national renaissance” in the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires. It analyzes the similarity and difference in the development of the Russian style and the “Magyar Renaissance” are analyzed. The authors come to the conclusion that despite the different intensions of the emergence of national romanticism, in both cases the national style evolved from an overdecorated facade architecture to the most laconic “severe” style, which was more appropriate in the context of the beginning of the First World War. By 1914, integral ensembles appeared, which opened up the city-forming prospects of national romanticism.

Ludowość utracona? Strategie instytucjonalizacji sztuki ludowej w Szkole Przemysłu Drzewnego w Zakopanem

Abstrakt: W jakim stopniu funkcjonujące dzisiaj wyobrażenie „góralszczyzny” odpowiada tradycyjnej twórczości Podhala sprzed prób jej instytucjonalizacji? Tekst stanowi analizę metod konstruowania stylów regionalnego i narodowego, jakie realizowano w programach zakopiańskiej Szkoły Przemysłu Drzewnego z lat 1879–1939. Ówczesna twórczość rzeźbiarska wykładowców i wychowanków placówki oraz prowadzona w jej zakresie edukacja ukazują różnorodność prób instytucjonalizacji oraz instrumentalizacji ludowości. W literaturze przedmiotu brakuje jednak wyczerpującej analizy tych procesów. Celem tekstu jest prześledzenie (nad)użyć folkloru, do jakich dochodziło w obrębie uczelni. Analizie zostały poddane programy edukacji realizowane przez dyrektorów: Franciszka Neužila, Edgara Kovátsa, Stanisława Barabasza, Karola Stryjeńskiego oraz Adama Dobrodzickiego. Genealogia przywołanych koncepcji kształcenia ujawnia pewną ambiwalencję: nauczające wytwórczości ludowej programy były w rzeczywistości formami artystycznej ingerencji w regionalną kulturę Podhala, tworzonymi w większości przez „obcych” i dla „obcych”. Całość rozważań została zrealizowana z perspektywy studiów postkolonialnych oraz historii społeczno-politycznej. Summary: To what extent does the present image of Polish “highland culture” reflect the traditional art and craftsmanship of Podhale from before its institutionalization? This study offers an analysis of methods of creation of regional and national style, conducted at the School of Wood Industry in Zakopane from 1879 to 1939. Art and craft of students and professors and the educational methods demonstrate various attempts of institutionalization and instrumentalization of folklore. Literature on the subject lacks a thorough analysis of those processes. The object of this study was to trace the (ab)uses of folklore that happened on account of the School. Analyzed were the teaching programmes carried out by headmasters: Franciszek Neužil, Edgar Kováts, Stanisław Barabasz, Karol Stryjeński, and Adam Dobrodzicki. Those methods of education reveal an ambivalence: while officially teaching local folklore and craft, they were in fact a form of artistic interference with the regional culture of Podhale, by “strangers” and for “strangers”. The text was based on postcolonial studies and socio-political history.

Contemporizing the National Style in Chinese Animation: The Case of Nezha (2019)

In this article, the authors explore the popular animation Nezha (2019), examining the idea that it typifies the ‘national style’. Expanding the work of other scholars who have demonstrated the changeability of the ‘national style’, here they examine this notion in regard to the way in which Nezha (2019) represents ‘Chineseness’ at this particular socio-political moment. Methodologically, they focus their analysis largely upon the film’s narrative and aesthetics, drawing on a number of reviews as counterpoints for the way in which it was interpreted to situate it in popular discourses. The authors argue that Nezha (2019) presents a national image in which traditions and modernity are interwoven, and the focus upon the ‘technological’ – its digitality – constitutes a refiguring of animation in China as symbolic of modernity. Narratively and aesthetically mediating between the past and the present, Nezha (2019) embodies a ‘national style’ which is on one hand hybrid in its inter/nationality, but also culturally delimited in terms of which cultural heritages are held up as emblematic of the nation.

Architectural Style as a Symbol of Hudprom: The History of Battles of a Hundred Years Ago

The article deals with the problems of finding a national style in architecture in the early twentieth century. The issues of the main polemical aspects of the choice of artistic language as an expression of the artistic direction of the institution, the influence of the stylistic decision on the symbolism of the content of the institution are considered. The events that preceded the construction: competitions, discussions, confrontations of political opponents formed a very relevant discussion in search of an authentic form that would express the Ukrainian spirit. This is what created a clear image of the building, which is an association and a business card with Hudprom.

DESIGNING MULTIFUNCTIONAL ECO-FURNITURE IN THE NATIONAL STYLE

This article is devoted to the development of the artistic image of multifunctional eco-furniture in the national style, intended for use in home life, and the development of the concept for furniture that meets modern needs, as well as its importance in the interior. As a result of the questionnaire survey conducted in this work, the preferences of the audience were determined and a variant of the concept of the design features of interior elements, furniture for everyday use was proposed. For the first time, proceeding from the principles of ergonomics and taking into account the Kazakh national traditions, the issues of an integrated approach to the design of multifunctional types of furniture as elements of the interior of small apartments are considered.

A comparative Study of Chinese Traditional Folk Paper-cut Art Desigh and Modern Graphic Design Based on Visual Communication

Paper-cut, as a traditional folk art, has become a treasure of Chinese folk art in its long history of development. Paper-cut gives people artistic enjoyment visually with its unique creative techniques, full composition and vivid and interesting patterns. Methods: Traditional folk paper-cut art records the folk customs of the Chinese nation and embodies the temperament and national style of the Chinese nation. Its unique way of thinking and expression provide unique creative ideas and rich visual art resources for modern graphic design. Chinese folk paper-cut is an organic combination of decoration and practicality. Results: It can not only show the rich and colorful folk life, but also meet the aesthetic needs of a variety of situations. How to combine rich traditional culture and art with graphic design concepts and the spirit of the times to design works with national style, so as to better integrate folk paper-cut art with graphic design, is the pursuit of graphic designers. Conclusion: Based on visual communication design, this paper discusses the comparison and integration between traditional Chinese folk paper-cut art design and modern graphic design.