Conceptual Art Exhibitions as a Dialogue between Art
and Its Contemporaries
207
P. S. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky and F. M. Dostoevsky; the painter depicts
himself in the image of old general of 1812. Such pieces are not only
historical, they are attractive: their content represents knowledge of the
humanities spiritualised by a creative imagination. For the Russian
philosopher V. V. Ilyin, it is “the semantic determination, the value-
conscious causality present in those cognitive examples that distinguish the
search of the humanist.”
10
Shubin is, undoubtedly, a painter and a humanist.
An important cognitive process in the sphere
of humanities is the use
of dialogue that leads to understanding; it could be said that an exhibition
always represents a dialogue between the painter and the viewer, and that
the purpose of any art exhibition is to present universal human values to
modern society.
Conceptual exhibitions in Altai present a new dimension of regional
art. Tradition is presently one of the most urgent problems of contemporary
society, and is widely discussed in academic publications. The relevance of
this problem is connected with the potential disappearance of original
cultures closely connected with traditions. Traditions should not be
understood as something outmoded and ancient. D. D. Blagoy describes
how in works of the great Russian poet, A. S. Pushkin, interest and respect
for the past (tradition) is combined with love for modernity, with the energy
of creation; as he puts it, the poet valued “the taste of clever antiquity.”
11
The researcher underlines that “clever traditions, passed from ancestors to
descendants, are a precondition for the
progressive development of
society.” Tradition, under certain conditions, can turn into formal
traditionalism, losing its connection with modernity through which it can
develop and “take on new life.”
12
Blagoy illustrates this through the example
of the development of Russian culture in the 18
th
century, making reference
to Pushkin’s words:
“For a long time, Russia preserved its aloofness from Europe. Admitting
Christianity from the Byzantine Empire, it participated in neither the
political upheavals nor the mental activity of Roman world.... The great
destination was determined for Russia.... Its vast plains assimilated
Mongolian power and stopped their invasion on the extreme border of
Europe.”
13
Peter I turned Russia towards European culture, whilst at the same
time preserving the national characteristics of his empire. In developing a
city plan for his northern capital, Peter I relied not only on construction
10
Ilyin 1985, p. 45.
11
Blagoy 2005, p. 28-29.
12
Ibid., p. 30.
13
Ibid., p. 32.
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T. M. Stepanskaya
208
techniques
from Amsterdam, he also drew upon Old Russian architectural
traditions. Pushkin mentions this in his poem Medniy vsadnik, describing
how “Peter’s rampant horse planted his hooves on the native land.”
14
Following Pushkin, Russians are exhorted to fulfil their duty to serve their
nation, their traditions.
Studying aspects of modernity such as traditions and the processes of
globalisation remains a priority in academia, attracting the attention of
historians, culturologists and fine art experts. N. A. Khrenov’s article,
published in Traditsionnaya kultura,
15
juxtaposes different views concerning
the place of traditional culture in societal life and how it is influenced by
globalisation processes.
It is the destructive role of globalisation with regards to tradition
which arouses the concern of academics. N. A. Khrenov notes that
globalisation is, in fact, an ancient phenomenon. He refers to the
philosopher V. Soloviev, who noted the differences in “ideal” and “real”
acts of globalisation. Ideally, globalisation presupposes the integration
(interpenetration) of nations and cultures, but in reality what we see is the
unification (homogenisation) of cultures, resulting in destruction of the
originality and uniqueness of local and national traditions. Interpenetration
presupposes a dialogue between cultures. In practice, we see the dictates
(monologue) of the market leading
to mass culture; cultural values
become goods and are assigned a
market value. Researchers tend to
agree that the processes of
globalisation are driven by the
West, mainly the USA.
Traditions are formed over
long time periods. Taking an
intermediate position, Russia
actively assimilates the values of
Western culture but, at the same
time, tends to preserve
manifestations of traditional
culture, for instance, folklore
(songs, images, fairy tales, etc.).
The thought has been expressed
that statehood represents the mind
14
Ibid., p. 35.
15
Khrenov 2005.
Fig. 2. G. A. Belyshev. A fabric design based
on ornamentations typical of nationals of the
Altai Mountains, 1970
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