The main architectural sights of Russia. Modern Russian culture
The main core of the values of Russian culture has always been the primacy of the spiritual over the material, conciliarity, Orthodoxy, labor, justice, love of freedom, love of the land, love for a woman - mother and spouse, love and service to the Fatherland, readiness to defend the Fatherland, even to the point of self-sacrifice, priority of the state over the individual.
Characterizing the traditional values present in the sphere of modern Russian society, one cannot help but highlight the existence of religious values. Today, religiosity is perceived by many Russians as a necessary part of spirituality, as a socio-historical phenomenon that has important ideological significance. It should be noted that Russian society at present, as before, remains not only a multinational state, but also a multi-religious one. In Russian culture, nationality is harmoniously combined with patriotism. For Russian citizens, patriotism has always been one of the indicators of their value and worldview spirituality. Russians have long been characterized by a touching attitude towards their Motherland; in the history of Russia, many feats and heroic deeds have been accomplished in the name of love for their Fatherland, for the sake of preserving the independence and integrity of the state. Russian people are accustomed to loving their Motherland not for material rewards, but because it was given to him by God, and because he was born here, grew up, and found people dear to his heart. Patriotism is interpreted as a feeling of national pride, as a value that determines basic life positions. At the top, as before, are traditional values - the value of family, friendship and love; in recent years, their position in the hierarchy of values has not only not weakened, but has become even more established. Such a high position in the value hierarchy of the Russian society of traditional values is explained by the fact that family, private life has always been and remains for most Russians the main focus of their mental and physical strength, and is often the only saving island where it is possible to find protection from the ever-increasing social and psychological stress. At one of the central places in the hierarchy of values in public consciousness Russians value freedom: up to 70% of Russians named freedom as a vital value.
The objective fact of being at the pinnacle of the value of freedom is explained by the fact that the dream of freedom has long lived in the Russian people, doomed by history to centuries of dependence. It should be noted that freedom is perceived by Russians as a value, due to existing traditions and characteristics of the Russian mentality. The attribute of freedom is the necessity and ability of individual, internal and responsible choice. Freedom in Russian was (and is) understood by the majority of the population as will, self-will, anarchy, arbitrariness.
Traditional and innovative are considered to be two sides of the existence of culture. On the one hand, it is in traditions that there are diverse elements of cultural heritage - all kinds of values, norms, customs, ideas, myths, rituals, folklore, etc. – are preserved and passed on from one generation to another. On the other hand, no cultural innovations will arise if they do not find support in traditional values. Innovation can only be considered something that is actually mastered in culture and leads to a change in the constituent elements of human activity.
Good day, dear friends! Andrey Puchkov is on the line. Today I present to your attention new article about modern Russian culture. This topic included in the list of topics from the Unified State Exam codifier in history. And therefore, it can be checked in tests. I’ll say right away that the article was written by our new author. So, this is, so to speak, a test of the pen. 🙂
So, let's go!
As we all know, the 90s of the 20th century were marked by the collapse of the USSR, and accordingly, the single culture that existed in the Soviet Union also broke up into smaller subcultures. And as there were more cultures, tension began to grow between them, since they were all inherently different and could no longer coexist together in a single sociocultural space.
The new state that was formed after the collapse Soviet Union found itself in completely new conditions – both economic and political. Modern Russian culture also found itself in a new environment. On the one hand, she was no longer subject to censorship. On the other hand, culture has lost an important customer – the state.
As a result of this (after all, no one dictated the norms and rules anymore!) the culture had to be re-formed by the people themselves, including the creation of a new core. Naturally, all this was the cause of many disagreements. As a result, opinions were divided into two camps: some believed that the lack of a common idea in culture is a crisis, while others said the opposite - this is a natural phenomenon.
Thus, the elimination of ideological barriers created fertile ground for the creation of spiritual culture. But a severe economic crisis and a difficult transition to a market economy contributed to its commercialization. Spiritual culture was experiencing in the 90s acute crisis, because it objectively needed state support.But this support was not available due to the crisis.
At the same time, a sharp division occurred between elite and mass modern Russian culture, as well as between the older generation and the younger. At the same time, access to material and cultural goods grew unevenly, which made the formation of a new culture an even more difficult process. So what exactly is modern Russian culture?
Music
In the modern world, music is always a means of self-expression, almost always a distinctive feature and rarely an indulgence in fashion. If we talk about modern Russian music and culture, they have remained in the past en masse stormy meetings new albums. While waiting, people more often switch to performers new to themselves, looking for more and more favorites; they rejoice at the new album, but without fanaticism, as, for example, during the time of Beatlemania. Listeners can generally be divided into two categories: connoisseurs and amateurs.
Connoisseurs buy albums, listen to them for hours, understand the biographies of the singers, and treat the act of listening to music as a sacred act. They know everything about genres and lyrics, and will certainly point out a mispronounced song title. Amateurs can list the names of groups, perhaps remember the names of popular soloists, but they will not be able to call themselves adherents of any genre or group.
Essentially, these are music lovers who listen to everything. Some listen to the same thing for decades, something twenty years or more ago, reminiscent of their youth. It could be Yuri Vizbor, Mikhail Krug and Chopin at the same time - because Vizbor was sung in school years, Krug as a student, and Schubert was played by his father as a child.
This is where self-expression comes into play. It is impossible to constantly listen to the songs of one or several groups all your life or always listen to the classics, anyway, sometimes rock “falls into the soul” and pop music...
We can talk about music as an image: traditionally, middle-aged people should love bards and classics, pensioners should love classics and something “singing, melodic.” The 40-year-old rocker and the 65-year-old disco lover, although they are becoming more and more common, still remain exceptions to the rule in the eyes of young people.
Nostalgia for the Soviet Union covers a large part of the population, plus nationalists can often be seen lately. They are all different great love to the Soviet stage - Russian rock (like Aria and Nautilus) or bards (Tsoi, Vysotsky). Of these, those who are younger often listen to rap or modern Russian rock (Splin, Grob).
Architecture
In architecture, in modern Russian culture, the “loft” style is gaining popularity - the interior of housing in a former factory building. Details in the loft style are very important - the interior spaces are decorated in the best traditions of the factory past - stairs, factory fixtures, various pipes, etc. – all this becomes an interior item. From the outside, the building is practically no different from an ordinary factory, and most often those factory buildings that are ready to become historical monument. However, in Russia, the old building is demolished and a similar, stronger one is built in its place.
Painting
The painting of modern Russian culture is characterized by somewhat gloomy trends. To replace the characteristic of the “perestroika” years tragic reflection events Soviet history the “exposure of the ulcers” of modern reality has arrived. Images of people with the mark of moral, physical and spiritual degradation (Vasily Shulzhenko), images of man-animals (Geliy Korzhev, Tatyana Pazarenko) have become popular; sometimes artists depict decay and destruction (V. Brainin), or simply gloomy city landscapes (A. Palienko , V. Manokhin).
Painting by Vasily Shulzhenko
However, it is still impossible to choose a few styles that prevail over the rest. In the fine arts of modern Russia, by and large, all genres and trends are represented - from classical landscapes to post-impressionism. Big role in restoration and development artistic creativity played by the artist I. S. Glazunov, rector of the Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.
Painting "Return". Artist Tatyana Nazarenko
There is a fairly widespread opinion that there was a cultural crisis in the 90s. And really, what associations do people have? They often recall the sharp reduction in government funding in the cultural sphere, the low incomes of scientists and the outflow of highly qualified specialists from universities. However, few people remember the advantages.
For example, thanks to the fall of the USSR, art gained freedom, there was no censorship, and universities and other higher education institutions educational establishments were able to train students in their own programs, and finally there was freedom of research for scientists. But along with this, according to the recollections of many, it is noted Negative influence West (films, books).
At the same time, monuments erected during the Soviet Union are being demolished. Another negative assessment you can pay attention to is that many people note low quality translation of Western books and films that came to Russia along with perestroika.
Movie
As for the films of the 90s, as we could see above, opinions were divided into two camps. But what can be said about Russian cinema Now? Recently, many cinema halls have opened in Moscow with modern technology and the latest equipment. In addition, in Russia, thanks to the emergence of new directors, films have begun to be made that are perhaps hardly inferior to Western ones.
Every year the Russian film festival “Kinotavr” is held in Sochi, and the film festival of the CIS and Baltic countries in Anapa – “Kinoshok”. Several Russian films received international awards– the film “Playing the Victim” received in 2006 Grand Prize Rome Film Festival, and the film “The Return” by Andrei Zvyagintsev was awarded two Golden Lions at the Venice Film Festival. The film directed by Nikita Mikhalkov “12” also received the Golden Lion in Venice and was also nominated for an Oscar in 2008.
Despite the prosperity of pop culture in music and its focus on the needs of the masses, world-famous musicians and performers began to come to Russia. In 2012 and 2013 English rock musician Sting visited Russia, and another English musician, Elton John, also came at the same time. In 2009 important event For Russian music was the holding of Eurovision in Moscow.
In addition to a significant push in the field of cinema and music, the architectural image of the Russian capital and other cities is gradually changing. From 1992-2006 Monuments to A. A. Blok, V. S. Vysotsky, S. A. Yesenin, G. K. Zhukov, F. M. Dostoevsky were erected and memorials to victims of political repression were opened.
From this we can conclude that Russian culture has moved away from the standards familiar to the Soviet average and reflects reality in a new way.
The culture of Russia is the culture of the Russian people, other peoples and nationalities of Russia and the states that preceded the modern Russian Federation; a set of formal and informal institutions, phenomena and factors influencing the preservation, production, transmission and dissemination of spiritual values (ethical, aesthetic, intellectual, civil, etc.) in Russia.
For culture Ancient Rus' The following features are characteristic:
Slow pace of development. Important role played the experience of previous generations, traditions.
Locality, isolation, disunity of Russian lands, caused by the lack of economic interests in the conditions subsistence farming.
Patriotism, the cult of a strong and brave warrior-hero.
Very deep moral principles.
Strong influence religion.
Dominance in the ideology of religious worldview.
Despite the difference in the development of Rus' from Western European countries, Russian culture developed in the general mainstream of European culture.
Culture of Russia XIII-XVII centuries
Rostov Kremlin
Key Features cultural development during that period:
The need for self-identification of the Russian people and, as a consequence, the blurring of differences between individual principalities and the formation of an all-Russian culture.
Elevation Orthodox Church as the custodian of the cultural and political traditions of the Russian state. Ending double faith.
Self-isolation of Rus' not only from Muslim, but also from Catholic countries.
Russian empire
Monument "Millennium of Russia"
The Russian Empire, due to historical circumstances, throughout its existence willingly borrowed many elements Western European culture and customs. And as a result, in the understanding of the “Western” observer cultural level the overwhelming population of Russia was low. However, it is impossible to overestimate the contribution of the leading Russian figures into world culture.
The culture of Russia is the cumulative culture of countries and nationalities living on the territory of the Soviet Union.
Theatrical arts, cinematography, and fine arts developed intensively. In certain periods, the development of ethnic minority cultures and national cultures was encouraged.
Modern history
The modern history of culture in Russia is associated with the restoration of elements of the culture of the Russian Empire and its integration into the cultural heritage of the USSR. In Russia, churches and religious customs are being actively restored, and the institution of patronage is being revived. In addition, values characteristic of Western and Eastern civilizations come into the existing culture of the USSR, for example, the traditions of Western popular culture or tea ceremonies and cuisine are introduced eastern countries. There are many thematic festivals, exhibitions and events. In 2012, 77% of residents of Russian cities completely or mostly agreed that there are enough cultural institutions in cities (theatres, cinemas, galleries, libraries).
As British sociology professor Hilary Pilkington noted in 2007, “there is a tendency to see Russia as a unique society, composed of different cultural traditions, not a “hybrid” but a unique entity that has been created on the basis of many and different cultural influences.”
Language
The most common language in Russia is Russian. It is also the state language of the Russian Federation in accordance with Article 68 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. However, the number of speakers of eight more languages in the Russian Federation exceeds one million people.
Republics within the Russian Federation have the right to establish their own state languages and, as a rule, use this right: for example, in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, in addition to Russian, Abaza, Karachay, Nogai and Circassian languages have state status.
Despite the efforts being made in many regions to preserve and develop local languages, in Russia the Soviet time a tendency towards a linguistic shift, when in fact the native language of non-Russian citizens becomes Russian, while superficial knowledge of the mother’s language (the language of one’s ethnic group) becomes nothing more than a marker of ethnicity.
Cyrillic is a writing system and alphabet for a language, based on the Old Slavic Cyrillic alphabet (they talk about Russian, Serbian, etc. Cyrillic alphabet; call it “ Cyrillic alphabet» formal unification of several or all national Cyrillic scripts is incorrect). Old Church Slavonic Cyrillic(alphabet and writing system), in turn, is based on the Greek alphabet.
The alphabets of 11 of the 28 Slavic languages are based on the Cyrillic alphabet, as well as 101 non-Slavic languages that were previously unwritten or had other writing systems and were translated into Cyrillic in the late 1930s (see: list of languages with alphabets based on the Cyrillic alphabet) .
Russian language is one of the East Slavic languages, one of largest languages world, including the most widespread of the Slavic languages. The Russian language came from Old Russian, together with Sukrainian and Belarusian languages[source not specified 1
Russian literature
Russian literature reflected not only aesthetic, moral and spiritual values and ideas; According to leading Russian thinkers, literature is also the philosophy of Russia.
Up to the 18th century secular literature practically did not exist in Russia. There are several monuments of ancient Russian literature of a religious or chronicle nature - “The Tale of Bygone Years”, “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”, “The Prayer of Daniil the Zatochnik”, “Zadonshchina”, The Life of Alexander Nevsky and other lives. The authors of these works are now unknown. Folk art of that period is represented by the original genre of epics, fairy tales.
Secular literature appeared in Russia only in the 17th century. First famous work of this kind - “The Life of Archpriest Avvakum” (despite the name, it cannot be called a religious work, since it was written by Avvakum himself; canonical lives were written only after the death of the saint).
In the 18th century, a galaxy of secular writers and poets appeared in Russia. Among them are the poets Vasily Trediakovsky, Antioch Cantemir, Gavriil Derzhavin, Mikhail Lomonosov; writers Nikolai Karamzin, Alexander Radishchev; playwrights Alexander Sumarokov and Denis Fonvizin. Dominant artistic style literature at that time was classicism.
Poetry
A. S. Pushkin
Among the most famous poets of Russia:
Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin
Mikhail Yurjevich Lermontov
Alexander Alexandrovich Blok
Sergey Yesenin
Anna Akhmatova
Vladimir Mayakovsky
and many others.
Prose
F. M. Dostoevsky
Among the most famous writers of Russia:
Fedor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy
Ivan Alekseevich Bunin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov
Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
and many others.
Modern literature
Russian art
art
Russian icon painting inherited the traditions of Byzantine masters. At the same time, Russia developed its own traditions. The most comprehensive collection of icons is in the Tretyakov Gallery.
Russian icons were not simple imitation, but had their own own style, and such masters as Andrei Rublev raised the level of icon painting to new heights.
Painting
V. M. Vasnetsov. "Bogatyrs". Oil. 1881-1898.
I. E. Repin. "The Cossacks write a letter to the Turkish Sultan." Oil. 1880-1891.
M. A. Vrubel. "The Demon Seated" Oil. 1890.
The first realistic portraits appeared in Russia in the 17th century, in the middle - late XVIII century in Russia such major painters, like Levitsky and Borovikovsky.
Since that time, Russian painting has followed global trends. Prominent artists first half of the 19th century: Kiprensky, Bryullov, Ivanov (“The Appearance of Christ to the People”).
In the second half of the 19th century, realistic painting flourished. Was based creative association Russian artists "Association of Mobile art exhibitions"("Peredvizhniki"), which included such great artists as Vasnetsov, Kramskoy, Shishkin, Kuindzhi, Surikov, Repin, Savrasov.
On turn of XIX-XX The World of Art association has been active for centuries. Its members or artists close to the movement were Mikhail Alexandrovich Vrubel, Kuzma Sergeevich Petrov-Vodkin, Nikolai Konstantinovich Roerich, Isaac Ilyich Levitan.
Socialist realism
Socialist realism - basic artistic method, used in the art of the Soviet Union starting in the 1930s; it was permitted, recommended or imposed (in different periods development of the country) by state censorship, and therefore was closely connected with ideology and propaganda. It has been officially approved since 1932 by party bodies in literature and art. Parallel to it, there was unofficial art of the USSR. Representatives of socialist realism are V. I. Mukhina, A. A. Deineka, I. I. Brodsky, E. P. Antipova, B. E. Efimov. For works in the genre socialist realism characterized by the presentation of events of the era, “dynamically changing in their revolutionary development.” Ideological content The method was laid down by dialectical-materialist philosophy and the communist ideas of Marxism (Marxist aesthetics) in the second half of the 19th-20th centuries. The method covered all areas artistic activity(literature, drama, cinema, painting, sculpture, music and architecture). It stated the following principles:
Describe reality “accurately, in accordance with specific historical revolutionary developments.”
coordinate their artistic expression with the themes of ideological reforms and the education of workers in the socialist spirit.
Main article: Russian avant-garde
At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, Russia became one of the centers of avant-garde art.
Prominent representatives of the avant-garde: Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, Marc Chagall, Pavel Filonov. What was common to the Russian avant-garde was the rejection of old forms of art in favor of a new one, more appropriate to the current moment of reality. A similar direction in the development of artists’ thoughts also existed in all other European countries, while the art of America lagged behind in its development. In those years, for the first time since the time of Peter I, a definite connection emerged between the fine arts of Russia and the fine arts of European countries. In the 30s, with the increasing influence of the style of socialist realism, this connection was broken. Many researchers associate the origins of the Russian avant-garde not so much with the revolution, but with the industrial leap of that time.
Abstractionism
In the 1950s and 1960s, some artists turned to the tradition of abstraction. Studio Eliya Belyutina worked most actively in this direction. New reality" In 1962, after the destruction of their exhibition in the Manege, “New Reality” became one of the centers of unofficial art in the USSR. The association lasted until 2000. The goal of “New Reality” was to create contemporary art, and as a result of its activities, the organization of the New Academy.
The main artists of the “New Reality” group: Eliy Belyutin, Vladislav Zubarev, Lucian Gribkov, Vera Preobrazhenskaya, Anatoly Safokhin, Tamara Ter-Ghevondyan.
In the 1960s, during the “Thaw,” a circle of conceptual artists emerged on the territory of the former Soviet Union, many of whom have now received international recognition. Their art is full-fledged in the world history of art and, in particular, in the history of international conceptual art. Such artists as Ilya Kabakov, Andrei Monastyrsky, Dmitry Prigov, Viktor Pivovarov are familiar not only in modern Russia, but also in Europe and America.
Art museums
In Russia there are many art museums and galleries. Among the most famous: State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and State Hermitage Museum and the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.
Music
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Russian classical music contains creative heritage such great composers as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka, the “Mighty Handful” community of composers, Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov, Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky. Among Soviet composers, some of the most significant are: Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev, Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich, Aram Ilyich Khachaturian, Alfred Schnittke.
In Russian music there are many world famous classical works, including famous symphonies, concerts, ballets (“Swan Lake”, “The Nutcracker”, “The Rite of Spring”), operas (“Boris Godunov”, “Eugene Onegin”, “Ivan Susanin”), suites (“Pictures at an Exhibition”)
Popular music
In the first half of the 20th century, such performers as Alexander Vertinsky and Leonid Utesov were popular. In Soviet times, the so-called "variety" popular music(Muslim Magomayev, Lev Leshchenko, Alla Pugacheva, Valery Leontyev, Joseph Kobzon).
Pop music developed in the USSR and Russia from the second half of the 20th century according to Western prototypes. It is popular primarily among the Russian-speaking population of the world. In Western countries, Russian pop musicians rarely achieve great commercial success (for example, the group Tatu did this).
Russian rock
Concert of the rock band Nautilus Pompilius
Russian rock is a collective designation for Russian-language rock music, created first in the USSR, then in Russia and the CIS countries by various musicians and groups. Most famous bands: “Aria” “Time Machine”, “Aquarium”, “Nautilus Pompilius”, “Cinema”, “Alice”, “DDT”, “Sounds of Mu”, “Chaif”, “Spleen”, “Bi-2”, “ Agatha Christie"
Russian rock bands were greatly influenced by Western rock music, as well as Russian art songs (Vladimir Vysotsky, Bulat Okudzhava), usually performed with an acoustic guitar.
The first jazz concert in the USSR took place in Moscow on October 1, 1922 at one o'clock in the afternoon on the stage of the Central College of Theater Arts (later GITIS) in Maly Kislovsky Lane. It was a concert of “Valentin Parnach, the first eccentric orchestra of jazz bands in the RSFSR.”
Electonic music
Famous groups and persons: PPK, Parasense, Quarantine, KDD, Radiotrance, Transdriver, Psykovsky, Kindzadza, Enichkin. During the Soviet period, Eduard Artemyev, Nochnoy Prospekt, and Ivan Sokolovsky worked in this genre.
Architecture
Russian architecture follows a tradition whose roots were established in Byzantium, and then in the Old Russian state. After the fall of Kyiv, Russian architectural history continued in the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality, the Novgorod and Pskov Republics, the Russian Tsardom, the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and the modern Russian Federation.
Religious buildings
Civil architecture
Civil architecture in Russia has gone through several stages throughout its history. Before the revolution, the development of architecture corresponded to the trends of other countries: buildings were built in the style of classicism, baroque and others.
The eras of civil architecture of the USSR received their names from the names of the country's rulers: Stalin's houses, Brezhnev's, Khrushchev's. With coming Soviet power the style of the buildings changed - they became more monumental. However, subsequently, when solving problems of improvement living conditions citizens of the USSR, a bet was placed on mass development. As a result, the architecture of the late USSR lost various decorative architectural elements, such as stucco molding, columns, arches and others. So-called peeling houses appeared. In response to the typical development of Russian cities, Eldar Ryazanov’s film “The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!” was released on television.
Currently, along with standard projects for the construction of mass housing, individual projects of residential buildings are also used.
Russian theatrical art is one of the most promising in the world. There are theaters in Russia that have world fame, such as the Mariinsky Theatre, Bolshoi and Maly Theatres.
Circus art is developed and popular in Russia. Among famous artists circus: clowns Yuri Nikulin, “Pencil”, Oleg Popov; magicians (illusionists) Emil Kio and Igor Kio, trainers Vladimir Durov, brothers Edgard and Askold Zapashny.
Cinema
Already in April 1896, 4 months after the first Parisian cinematic sessions, the first cinematographic devices appeared in Russia. On May 4 (16), 1896, the first demonstration of the “Lumiere cinematograph” in Russia took place in the Aquarium theater of the St. Petersburg garden - several films were shown to the public during the intermission between the second and third acts of the vaudeville “Alfred Pasha in Paris.” In May, Camille Cerf carried out the first documentary filming in Russia of the celebrations in honor of the coronation of Nicholas II. Film screenings quickly became a fashionable entertainment, and permanent cinemas began to appear in many large cities of Russia. The first permanent cinema opened in St. Petersburg in May 1896 at 46 Nevsky Prospekt.
The first Russian feature films were film adaptations of fragments of classical works of Russian literature (“Song about the Merchant Kalashnikov”, “The Idiot”, “The Bakhchisarai Fountain”), folk songs(“Uhar-merchant”) or illustrated episodes from national history(“The Death of Ivan the Terrible”, “Peter the Great”). In 1911, the first film in Russia was released. feature film“Defense of Sevastopol”, co-directed by Alexander Khanzhonkov and Vasily Goncharov.
In 1913, in the wake of the general rise of the Russian economy, the rapid growth of the cinematographic industry began, new companies were formed - including the largest film company of I. N. Ermolyev, among which more than 120 films were produced, including such significant films as “The Queen of Spades” (1916) and “Father Sergius” (published in 1918) by Yakov Protazanov. The period of the First World War marked the heyday of artistic Russian cinema. During this period, the outstanding film stylist Evgeniy Bauer shot his main films, Vladimir Gardin and Vyacheslav Viskovsky were actively working.
After the collapse of the USSR, cinema in Russia is experiencing a crisis: many film studios are experiencing financial difficulties. Film products produced in Russia are influenced by strong impact American films. In the 1990s, the number of big-budget films was not large (pictures such as The Barber of Siberia and Russian Riot appeared). In the era of the 2000s, against the backdrop of economic growth, there was a qualitative and quantitative growth in the film industry.
Films produced in Russia and its predecessor countries are winners of major international film festivals, such as Berlin, Cannes, Venice, and Moscow.
Every year, dozens of film festivals are held in Russia, among which the largest are the Moscow Film Festival (accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations) and Kinotavr.
Animation
Soviet animation is known all over the world, distinguished by the use of pastel colors, spirituality, kindness of content, and the presence of a strong educational component. Thousands of cartoons were produced at the most famous studios of the USSR and Russia (Soyuzmultfilm, Tsentrnauchfilm, Kievnauchfilm).
Film experts date the first Russian cartoon “Pierrot the Artists” to 1906, filmed by a choreographer Mariinsky Theater Alexander Shiryaev.
The cartoon “Hedgehog in the Fog” by Yuri Norshtein in 2003 in Tokyo was recognized as the best cartoon of all time according to a survey of 140 film critics and animators from different countries.
Wooden church in Kizhi
Paganism
Before the baptism of Rus' (988), pagan cults dominated the Russian Plain, which were characterized by polytheism, animism, the cult of ancestors, spirits and forces of nature. Many relics of paganism are preserved in folk religion Russians right up to the present day, especially in rural areas(first of all - elements of funeral and funeral rite). Many non-Slavic peoples of Russia retained their ethnic religions, in particular shamanism, until the 19th and 20th centuries.
Christianity
Orthodoxy
Orthodox Christianity is the most widespread religion in modern Russia. Came to Rus' from Byzantium.
Catholicism
Traditionally, Catholicism (not including Greek Catholics in western Ukraine and Belarus) in Russia (Russian Empire) was practiced Russian citizens of Polish, German, Lithuanian and Latvian origin.
Since the late 1980s, there has been some growth in adherence among people without historical or family ties to Catholicism.
Protestantism
Protestantism was introduced by merchants, soldiers and other visiting professionals from Germany shortly after the Reformation. The first Lutheran church appeared in Moscow already in 1576. Immigration of Protestants from Europe continued into the future. In addition, Protestantism was historically widespread in the north-west of the country among the local population in the territories conquered from Sweden as a result of the Northern and Russian-Swedish wars. Restrictions (“golden cage”) on the part of the authorities, in particular, a strict ban on preaching in Russian, led to the closure of traditional Protestant communities along national lines and persecution of the disseminators of new teachings, such as Shtunda, and then Baptism.
With the revival of churches after the collapse of the USSR, traditional Protestant communities, which were previously ethnic (German, Estonian, Swedish, Finnish, etc.), are often replenished with people with completely different roots, in particular Russians, which is caused, on the one hand, by the strong the decline of ethnic Germans and Finns due to repression and mass emigration, on the other hand, the attractiveness of the faith and the favorable climate in the parishes. The activity of new movements, in particular American ones, such as Pentecostals, is also noticeable.
The number of Protestants in Russia cannot be determined accurately. According to various sources, from 2% to 4% of the population consider themselves Protestants, while actively participating in religious life from 0.6% to 1.5%. This means that, according to a rough estimate, every hundredth inhabitant of the country is a conscientious Protestant. The most common are Baptists, whose congregations are estimated at at least 100,000 people.
As a notable contribution of Protestants to the culture of Russia, one can note the custom of erecting a New Year tree.
According to experts (the question of religious affiliation was not asked during the last census), there are up to 14.5 million Muslims in Russia, if we count the total number of peoples historically associated with Islam. According to the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the European Part of the Russian Federation, about 20 million Muslims live in Russia. However, sociologist Roman Silantiev considers these data to be clearly overestimated and estimates the real number of Muslims at 11-12 million people, which is not plausible, given that there are 16.2 million people from the Caucasus alone in Russia. [unauthorized source? 256 days]
The majority of Muslims live in the Volga-Ural region, as well as in the North Caucasus, Moscow, St. Petersburg and Western Siberia. There are more than 6,000 mosques in Russia (in 1991 there were about a hundred).
Buddhism is traditional in three regions of Russia: Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia. According to the Buddhist Association of Russia, the number of people professing Buddhism is 1.5-2 million people.
Currently, many Buddhist schools are represented in Russia: Theravada, Japanese and Korean Zen, several directions of Mahayana and almost all schools of Tibetan Buddhism existing in the world.
The world's northernmost Buddhist Datsan, built before the Revolution in Petrograd (Datsan Gunzechoinei), now serves as a tourist and religious center of Russian Buddhist culture. Preparations are underway to build a Buddhist temple in Moscow, which could unite Russian Buddhists around itself in joint practice for the benefit of all intelligent beings of Russia and the world.
The number of Jews is about 1.5 million. Of these, according to the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia (FEOR), about 500 thousand live in Moscow, and about 170 thousand live in St. Petersburg. There are about 70 synagogues in Russia.
Russian cuisine
Russian cuisine, like Russian culture, is a two-part entity. The first, and most significant, part of it is Russian cuisine, based on the Slavic traditions of Rus' with introduced borrowings from other peoples, which over time became part of the unified Russian state. In addition, the nobility, the intelligentsia and other people who had the opportunity to travel abroad, as well as foreigners, introduced many elements of foreign cuisine into modern mass Russian cuisine.
The second direction of Russian cuisine relates to national traditions peoples and nationalities living in Russia. The cuisine of each nation has its own unique dishes and methods of preparing them, based on products cultivated and collected since ancient times in a given territory, made using original kitchen utensils. Combined with local customs, religious rituals and the opportunity to interact with modern civilization, the cuisines of the peoples of Russia make an invaluable contribution to its cultural heritage.
Among the most famous dishes of Russian cuisine are borscht, vinaigrettes, pies, pancakes, cheesecakes, cabbage soup, kvass, fruit drinks and others.
Drinking culture
In Russia, the consumption of alcoholic beverages is an acute social problem; it is worth noting that the consumption of strong, and not only, alcohol in large quantities began after the opening of drinking establishments during the reign of Peter I. Before that, alcohol consumption was extremely insignificant.
The consumption of alcoholic beverages has given Russia serious social problems associated with alcoholism and drunkenness.
However, in terms of alcohol consumption per capita, Russia is in 18th place, behind countries such as Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Germany. At the same time, the diet is significantly different - for example, in Europe dry red wines predominate, and in Russia - vodka and beer.
Sports of Russia
Traditionally, in Russian culture there are two directions for the development of sports: sports of great achievements and physical education.
Both areas are actively developing in Russia. Many sports schools are leading in the world, which proves their high achievements at the most prestigious sporting competitions, such as Olympic Games, World and European Championships. Physical education and a healthy lifestyle are promoted in the country. For example, mass sports competitions are held, such as “Cross of Nations” and “Russian Ski Track”.
And also in Russia there are developed traditions of empathy for participants in sports competitions. The most popular among fans are winter and summer team sports such as football, hockey, basketball and others. Individual summer and winter sports, such as biathlon, tennis, boxing and others, are also popular.
Culture of the peoples of Russia
Russia is a multinational state. In addition to Russians, who make up more than 80 percent of the population, the Russian Federation is home to about 180 other peoples. Most noticeable influence culture based on the Russian language had a role, but the cultural heritage of other peoples also plays a role in the development of all-Russian culture.
State policy of the Russian Federation in the field of culture
On December 24, 2014, for the first time in the history of the Russian Federation, the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin No. 808 approved the “Fundamentals of the State Cultural Policy of the Russian Federation” (OGKP RF), prepared by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
The introduction of this document (OGKP RF) states:
"Russia is a country great culture, huge cultural heritage, centuries-old cultural traditions and inexhaustible creative potential.
Due to its geographical location, multinationality, multiconfessionalism, Russia has developed and is developing as a country uniting two worlds - East and West. The historical path of Russia determined its cultural identity, features national mentality, value foundations of the life of Russian society.
A unique historical experience of mutual influence, mutual enrichment, and mutual respect has been accumulated different cultures- On this naturally Russian statehood has been built over centuries.
The key, unifying role in the historical consciousness of the multinational Russian people belongs to the Russian language and the great Russian culture.
Orthodoxy played a special role in the formation of Russia’s value system. Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, other religions and beliefs, traditional for our Fatherland, also contributed to the formation of the national and cultural identity of the peoples of Russia. Neither religion nor nationality divide and should not divide the peoples of Russia...
The culture of Russia is as much its heritage as its natural resources. In the modern world, culture is becoming a significant resource for socio-economic development, allowing us to ensure the leading position of our country in the world.”
In the section “Traditional and non-traditional values” of the document (OGKP RF), the topic of preserving a single cultural space in Russia, requiring the refusal state support cultural projects that impose alien values:
“...Those whose activities contradict cultural norms, have no reason to qualify for government funding - no matter how brilliant they consider themselves. The ideology of “multiculturalism,” whose destructive effects have already been experienced by Western Europe, is not for Russia.”
- “Fundamentals of the state cultural policy of the Russian Federation” (approved by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation V. Putin No. 808 of December 24, 2014).
On September 19, 2013, at a meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club on the topic “Russia’s diversity for modern world» Vladimir Putin talked, in particular, about multiculturalism:
“... We see how many Euro-Atlantic countries have actually taken the path of abandoning their roots, including Christian values, which form the basis of Western civilization. Moral principles and any traditional identity are denied: national, cultural, religious or even gender. A policy is being pursued that puts large families and same-sex partnerships, faith in God or faith in Satan on the same level. The excesses of political correctness go so far that there is serious talk about registering parties whose goal is to promote pedophilia. People in many European countries are ashamed and afraid to talk about their religious affiliation. Holidays are even canceled or called something else, bashfully hiding the very essence of this holiday - moral basis these holidays. And they are trying to aggressively impose this model on everyone, the whole world. I am convinced that this is a direct path to degradation and primitivization, a deep demographic and moral crisis...”
Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation.
About Russia as a civilization, the document (OGKP RF), in particular, says:
“... Humanity is a collection of large communities that differ from each other in their attitude to the surrounding world, their value systems and, accordingly, their culture. To designate these communities, different authors use the terms “superethnos”, “culture”, “civilization”.
Examples include the modern West, or the Islamic world, or China - the differences between them are quite obvious.
Russia, within the framework of this approach, is considered as a unique and original civilization, not reducible to either the “West” or the “East”. Not to “Eurasia”, understood as a kind of bridge between neighbors “on the left” and “on the right” ... "
- “Fundamentals of the state cultural policy of the Russian Federation” (approved by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation V. Putin No. 808 of December 24, 2014).
On April 19, 2014, even at the stage of discussion of the project “Fundamentals of the State Cultural Policy of the Russian Federation” (OGKP RF), the foreign media could not do without criticism of the project, where the main thesis of the document declared the expression “Russia is not Europe”, allegedly confirmed by the whole history of the country and people, as well as numerous cultural and civilizational differences between representatives of Russian (Russian) culture and other communities
Russian architecture is quite traditional, its roots were established in Byzantium, and later in the Old Russian state. After the fall of Kyiv, Russian architectural history continued in the Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal, the Novgorod and Pskov Republics, the Russian Tsardom, the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and the modern Russian Federation.
The art of Russian architects admired Napoleon; in his memoirs he described the towers of Smolensk, distracting himself from the failures of the battering walls. Moscow completely defeated the French emperor:
“Built like Rome, on seven hills, Moscow presents a very picturesque view. One must see the picture presented by this city, half-European, half-Oriental, with its two hundred churches and a thousand multi-colored domes towering above them, in order to understand the feeling that we experienced when from above Poklonnaya Gora we saw Moscow in front of us.”
The large churches in Kievan Rus', first built after 988, testified to the monumental nature of architecture in East Slavic lands.
The architectural style of Kievan Rus was established under the influence of Byzantine architecture.
The first stone church of the Old Russian state was the Tithe Church in Kyiv, the construction of which dates back to 989. The church was built as cathedral not far from the princely palace.
The beginning of the 17th century in Russia was marked by a difficult time of troubles, which led to a temporary decline in construction. The monumental buildings of the last century were replaced by small, sometimes even “decorative” buildings. An example of such construction is the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Putinki, made in the Russian patterned style characteristic of that period. After the completion of the temple, in 1653, Patriarch Nikon stopped the construction of stone tented churches in Rus', which made the church one of the last built using a tent.
Wooden architecture is the oldest type of architecture in Russia. The most important area of application of wood is as building material became Russian national housing, as well as outbuildings and other buildings. In religious construction, wood was actively replaced by stone; wooden architecture reached its peak of development in the Russian North.
Northern Russian churches are very diverse in style and form. One of the most common architectural types was the tented temple. The most common reason for the appearance of a tent in wooden architecture is considered to be the extreme difficulty of making a traditional wooden dome. The construction of the earliest known tented church dates back to 1501, when the Clement Church was erected in the Una churchyard. Also notable are such wooden tented churches as the Assumption Church in Varzuga, the church in Panilov in the Arkhangelsk region, etc.
One of the most notable tent churches is the Assumption Church in Kondopoga (1774). The main volume of the church is two octagons with a trough, placed on a quadrangle, with a rectangular altar area and two hanging porches. The iconostasis in the Baroque style and the icon-painted ceiling - the sky - have been preserved. The sky of the Kondopoga Church of the Assumption is the only example of the composition “Divine Liturgy” in an active church.
The original monument of tent-type churches is the Resurrection Church in Kevrol, Arkhangelsk region (1710). The central quadrangle volume is covered with a tent on a cross-shaped barrel with five decorative domes and is surrounded by cuts on three sides. Of these, the northern one is interesting because it repeats the central volume in reduced forms. A wonderful carved iconostasis has been preserved inside. In wooden tent architecture, there are known cases of using several tent structures. The only five-tent church in the world is the Trinity Church in the village of Nenoksa. In addition to the tented temples in wooden architecture There are also cube-shaped churches, the name of which comes from the covering with a “cube”, that is, a pot-bellied hipped roof.
