Definition of folk art. Folk art The importance of creative activity in the modern world

Creative activity– creative human activity in the field of science, literature, art, as a result of which a new work is created.

Folklore(from the English Folklore - “folk wisdom”) – folk (usually oral) creativity, the creative collective activity of people embodied in a work of art, which is a specific reflection of their life, ideals, and events.

One of the important trends that can be seen quite clearly in the development of artistic creativity over many centuries is the ever-increasing power of the personal authorial principle. Despite the fact that the individual principle is inherent in any creativity, in folklore it is greatly muted. Folklore is an expression of folk art, the artistic and collective creative activity of the people, reflecting their life, views, ideals, created by the people themselves and existing among the masses. This could be poetry, music, dance, fine and applied arts. As a rule, folklore works were disseminated through language and oral presentation, which became traditional for this type of art. Most often, folklore is presented in the form of songs, epics, and tales that reflect the course of people’s lives: work and rest, grief and joy, individual and historical events, rituals, etc. Of course, folklore works had their own authors, however, identifying them today is difficult. The roots of folklore are in history, in pagan beliefs (Ancient Rus'). After Christianity was adopted in Rus', the texts of the works underwent changes, but the ancient melodic form was preserved. Songs traditionally reflected events in the lives of people and society, glorifying exploits and outstanding personalities.

In addition to songs, various legends and fairy tales were also popular. They were divided into magical (where among the objects there are magical objects: flying carpets, self-assembled tablecloths, walking boots, testifying to pagan witchcraft and the dream of people to create things that ease the hardships of life) and satirical, which had a moralizing character, describing modern conflicts, revealing political contradictions (this type of creativity was subsequently widely used by professional writers).

The individual principle in ancient culture was reflected mainly in performance; the authors of folklore works, as a rule, remained unknown. This, according to researchers, was due to the lack of desire for people to express themselves through art; the subjective author’s vision did not prevail in culture. And the social, collective acquired sacred meaning; the artist needed to express universal plans, giving them an ideal representation. The dominance of mythology and religious consciousness led the ancient author to the conviction that the true creator of the work was the social spiritual principle or God.

Being a synthetic phenomenon, art has been perceived since ancient times as a means of education, which can also give a person specific spiritual pleasure that is beyond his capabilities and nature.

The author’s personal self-awareness is formed gradually as a result of the development of collective labor activity, the separation of his “I” from the collective “We,” the emergence and formation of philosophy, the formation of morality and social relations, the strengthening of statehood, etc.

The personal principle has reached its maximum in the modern development of art, in which the light radiation of the author’s personality gives a unique originality to the work of art. In this regard, the personality of the author, the strength of his talent, the scale of his thinking, the ability to deeply penetrate into the essence of the processes occurring in society, as well as knowledge of the inner world of man, are becoming increasingly important. The most important quality of an author today is the ability to say something new, unknown to other people or not yet formulated by them, to reveal the new essence of a particular phenomenon.

The talent of true artistic creativity lies in understanding the dialectics of the development of human society, with the awareness of those lofty goals in the name of which man is called to live. The author's knowledge of modernity is associated with understanding the prospects for the future, with the eternal desire to cognize the essence.

The tendency towards an increase in the author's principle manifested itself picturesquely already in the early stages of the development of cinema and television. One of the brightest representatives of that time was Charlie Spencer Chaplin, actor, film director, screenwriter, film producer, film composer, Oscar winner, founder of the United Artists film studio. Chaplin's works are a kind of mirror reflecting his multifaceted talent; he was one of the most creatively versatile and influential persons of the silent film period.

The development of auteur cinema in our time is becoming increasingly intense. Creativity and creation are increasingly subordinated to the author's intention, and screen works reflect the individuality of their authors.

In auteur cinema, the creativity of the author and director becomes a single process, where the birth of an idea, writing a script, and filming are carried out under a single opinion. Such individual authorship allows the creative view of the creator of the work, his view of the world, his vision of the phenomena of reality to be conveyed to the viewer as accurately and completely as possible.

The most important feature of the author-director is the ability to create a future film in his imagination, to freely and easily operate with sound and visual images. The filmmaker must hold an imaginary picture throughout the entire creative process. The director must feel the whole rhythm of the picture, its general classical and rhythmic concept, emotional mood, atmosphere, etc.

Directors are one of the first and most widespread representatives of screen culture today.

Screen culture.

Screen culture- a type of mass culture, the works of which are reproduced on a special technical means - a screen and are not perceived outside it. Types of screen culture: cinema, television, video, computer images, Internet, etc.

Screen– (from the French ecran – screen) – the surface on which an image is projected, as well as a device designed to reproduce the image.

Cinema- the sphere of human activity, which initially consists in creating moving images using technical devices, subsequently accompanied by sound.

Internet– a system of worldwide unification of computer systems and networks that form a specific information and technical space, which has the widest distribution and application.

Multimedia– the interaction of audiovisual effects controlled by interactive software with the direct use of technical, electronic and software tools that reproduce images in digital representation is extremely widespread and applicable.

The emergence of screen culture at the end of the 19th century was initially associated only with cinema, which could only arise at a certain level of cultural and technical development of civilization. The most important feature of cinema, in addition to its technical nature, is its focus on a wide audience and mass impact. The connection between social, technical, and cultural conditions is the main quality of the emerging cinema. Cinema was a new form of reality, different from theatrical performances. At the same time, the realities of cinema contributed to the transformation of the realities of reality, imperceptibly introducing into it fictitious, artificial, virtual images.

Thus, the emergence of cinema, and subsequently screen culture, led to the emergence of a new type of communicative interaction, new opportunities to influence mass and individual consciousness.

After cinema, the next huge achievement of screen culture was television, which has greater communicative capabilities, among which we highlight: almost universal prevalence, temporary availability, comfortable viewing conditions, reporting and documentary, large-scale coverage of interests and preferences, differentiation. That is, one can observe the combination of multiple media and culture in one phenomenon.

The continuation of the development of screen culture can be recognized as the emergence and confident spread of computer culture, which combines elements of all types of both screen and other culture. There is an indestructible mutual influence and interaction, with a fairly powerful influence that is practically unlimited by either the spatial or temporal framework of society. Participants in this type of communicative interaction can simultaneously take on various roles (viewer, listener, moderator, director, etc., that is, an active communicator), which definitely entails a fairly strong emotional impact on a person. There are quite fair concerns about the benefits of such involvement in the virtual world, the emergence of addiction, emotional overload, which can lead to personality disorders. In fairness, it should be noted that the first films also made a strong impression on the audience and influenced their emotional sphere. This phenomenon persists in a slightly modified form to this day. After all, it is precisely the appeal to the emotional sphere that is in many ways the goal and calling of any art.

It is safe to assume that the continued existence of screen culture will be accompanied by the inevitable interaction of its elements. Objects and works of screen culture, which are essentially simulacra (that is, copies without the original), artifacts, using modern digital means, receive almost perfect resolution, in which the audience believes almost limitlessly. But, at the same time, this audience is capable of creating their own virtual worlds and acting as one of the most important elements of universal communication. And in this mosaic interweaving of the links of screen culture lies the essence of the new communication paradigm, which is being introduced into traditional forms of interaction. However, one should constantly take into account the factor of distorted reality, the mythologization of objects of this culture, which completely penetrate into the real dimension and manipulate the creation of people. Altered reality transforms the subconscious, deforming the individual and society. These are real questions to which civilization must find adequate answers.

What is the role of the producer in this situation? What are its goals? As an entrepreneur, under whose leadership significant labor resources and teams carry out their creative and production activities, he must take care of the commercial benefit of the projects being created. This is possible if the product is sold on the market with maximum efficiency. But the producer’s activity does not end with the completion of production, but continues in the post-production stage, the essence of which, among other things, is manipulating public and personal consciousness for the purpose of the most profitable implementation of the project. The producer must also take into account universal human values ​​in his activities and be responsible for the cultural impact on millions of viewers, for their moral and spiritual development. Thus, sometimes the producer is faced with intractable problems, truly world-wide problems. And how, by what means, and with what results the producer will overcome these difficulties largely depends on his future activities, the creativity of the team, the production sphere, the economy, politics, and culture as a whole. Therefore, in addition to thorough knowledge in the field of film production and film business, the producer must have a high level of universal human culture and be responsible for the results of his own work and the activities of the team. Society and the state, as a spokesman for public interests, should be primarily interested in this.

Electronic educational and methodological complex for the discipline

Lecture notes

(as a manuscript)

Abakan

CHAPTER. Folk artistic creativity as the basis of the artistic culture of society.

The concept and essence of folk art.

Folk artistic creativity (folk art, folklore) is the artistic collective creative activity of the people, reflecting their life, views, ideals; These are poetry, music, theater, dance, architecture, fine and decorative arts created by the people and existing among the people.

In collective artistic creativity, people reflect their work activity, social and everyday life, knowledge of life and nature.

The following types and genres of folk art can be distinguished:

1. Oral folk art (folklore).

The genres of fairy tale, tradition, legend, tale, epic, historical song, proverbs and sayings, riddles, etc. belong to the epic genre.

The genres of lyrical song, ritual song, family song, love song, songs of social protest, ditty, etc. belong to the genus of lyric poetry.

Yuletide games, ritual performances, the folk theater of Parsley, raek, etc. are a type of drama.

A feature of folklore is its pronounced regional affiliation and historical specificity. Folklore develops together with the people, absorbing the most valuable and reflecting new social changes and historical events.

2. Folk music is a musical tradition that arose as a rhythmic accompaniment to work or part of a certain ritual, having its own sound ideal and its own modal forms. Represented by instrumental and vocal-instrumental creativity of the people. The main genres of musical folklore are songs, dance melodies, dance choruses, instrumental pieces and tunes. Music accompanied the peasant’s entire work and family life:

Calendar holidays (carols, vesnyanka, Maslenitsa songs);

Field work (mowing, harvest songs);

Birth, wedding (lullabies, wedding songs)

Death (funeral lamentations).

3. Folk theater - theater that exists among the people in forms organically related to oral folk art, originated in ancient times: the games that accompanied hunting and agricultural holidays contained elements of transformation. Theatricalization of the action was present in calendar and family rituals (Yuletide mummering, weddings). Next comes the comedy about Petrushka. Folk theater also includes farce performances and the so-called rayek (showing moving pictures accompanied by dramatized text). A characteristic feature of folk theater is the conventionality of costumes, movements and gestures, improvisation (the actors communicated with the audience, who gave cues and intervened in the action).

Folk dance - a dance of a certain nationality, nationality or region, is a form of folk art that has developed on the basis of folk dance traditions; characterized by its own choreographic language and plastic expressiveness.

The primary source of folk dance is human movements and gestures associated with labor processes and emotional impressions of the surrounding world.

Dance is one of the oldest forms of folk art. Peoples engaged in hunting and animal husbandry reflected in their dance observations of the habits of animals (Yakut bear dance). Dances appear on the theme of rural labor (Latvian reaper dance, etc.). The theme of love occupies a large place in folk dance art (Russian square dance, Georgian kartuli, etc.). Many dances are performed to the accompaniment of folk instruments.

5. Folk arts and crafts are the material embodiment of the spiritual culture of the people, which is reflected in the decor of artistic products (household utensils, dishes, furniture, weapons, clothing, etc.)

In Russia it is represented by artistic carving, painting (Khokhloma, Gzhel), ceramics (Dymkovo toy, Kargapol, etc.), chasing, lace-making, spinning and weaving, embroidery, etc.

All genres of folk art are characterized by the fact that the creators of a work are simultaneously its performers, and performance can be the creation of variants that enrich the tradition. It should also be noted the unity of various genres: poetry, music, dance, theater, and decorative arts merged in folk ritual actions; in the people's home - architecture, carving, painting, ceramics, embroidery created an inseparable whole.

Contemporary folk art is represented by the following forms:

Amateur creativity (amateur associations and interest clubs);

Amateur artistic activity is a form of folk art that includes the creation and performance of artistic works by amateurs performing collectively (circles, studios, groups, folk theaters) or alone;

Folk crafts are the activity of creating artistic products for utilitarian (applied) or decorative purposes, based on the collective mastery and development of folk traditions in a certain area (Zhostovo, Palekh, Khokhloma, etc.)

Folk artistic creativity is the historical basis of the entire world artistic culture, the source of national artistic traditions, and an exponent of national self-awareness.

It is necessary to distinguish between the concepts of “folk artistic creativity” and “folk artistic culture”. Folk artistic culture is the embodiment of spiritual and moral values ​​and ideals of an ethnic group, national character, “national images of the world” (G. Gachev and others)

The folk artistic culture of a society is a set of works of art created and distributed in a given society, as well as forms, methods of preserving, studying, and broadcasting them. It includes art as a form of reflecting reality in artistic images using special artistic means, but is not limited to it. The structure of the artistic culture of society also includes various means and forms of preserving, studying and disseminating artistic values. Folk culture contains an important mechanism for the functioning and preservation of culture as a whole; it cements and strengthens the spiritual foundations of society.

Russian ethnologist S.V. Lurie views folk culture as a structure that holds a given society together and protects it from collapse. Consequently, it can be argued that the study of folk culture is knowledge of the people themselves.

A.S. Kargin offers the following definition of the main structural formations of folk artistic culture.

1. Folklore (oral-poetic, musical-dramatic) is an everyday spiritual philosophy traditional for an ethnos - an aesthetic culture that reflects its mentality, formed as a result of centuries of collective creativity through oral communication, manifested in an infinite multiplicity of individual and personal options.

2. Neo-folklore - everyday artistic creativity of an unformalized leisure nature, including simultaneously forms of folklore, mass and professional art, amateur performances, characterized by aesthetic diversity, stylistic and genre instability, and acting as the second wave in modern folk culture.

3. Folklorism or secondary folklore is a stage form of folklore, prepared and interpreted taking into account the laws of demonstration to spectators and listeners as an artistic phenomenon.

4. Amateur artistic activity - socially organized creativity, focused on the reproduction and development of existing samples (works, products) of elite, mass or folk culture through special training of part of the population in artistic skills and abilities.

5. Decorative and applied arts, fine folklore is an embodied, materialized layer of folk artistic culture, reflecting in figurative and aesthetic form the self-awareness and mentality of an ethnic group, which has both folklore and specialized forms.

6. Archaic culture has ancient peasant origins and is associated with the era of the agricultural calendar.

7. Traditional culture determines the qualitative and most stable, established, and demonstrated their unconditional value parameters (qualities, properties, characteristics) of folk culture; it is a culture that has become universally significant for everyone, or at least for most social groups.

8. Authentic culture is the most typical layer of culture that exists in any marginal sphere. This is the primary, original folk culture that has retained its relevance, an example and symbol of the most aesthetically and spiritually valuable layer of culture of any social group. Therefore, we can talk about the authentic culture of the peasantry, workers, intelligentsia, etc. The concepts of “authentic” and “traditional” are closely related in the characteristics of folk culture.

Behind these words lies a large and important phenomenon: folk poetry and theater, music and dance, architecture and fine arts. Folk art is the foundation on which the building of world artistic culture has grown.

This article only talks about folk arts and crafts. It originated in ancient times and, like other types of artistic creativity, at first it was not at all recognized as art. People simply did the things they needed in everyday life, creating, as we now say, an objective environment: traditional home decoration, costume, household utensils, tools and military weapons. The entire working people created this objective world, reflecting in it their social and everyday way of life, their unique perception of the world, ideas about happiness and beauty, and their unique national character.

Collective creativity is the most characteristic feature of folk art. After all, almost everything in the master’s work was dictated by a centuries-old tradition: the choice of material and methods of processing it, the nature and content of decorative decoration.

The art critic V. S. Voronov, a great connoisseur of folk art, wrote well about the collectivity of folk art: “All its formal wealth was created through constant repetition: the slow accumulation of paraphrases, additions, amendments, changes... and variations... led to the creation of strong, well-worn forms ... Successful and original, brought into art by individual dexterity and keen vigilance, were grafted, developed and brought into finished form; the random, mediocre and far-fetched could not withstand further collective scrutiny, fell away and disappeared.”

This is a historical collectivity, closely related to the transmission of traditions from master to master, from generation to generation. But there is also collective creativity of contemporaries, in which the “choral” principle characteristic of folk art is clearly manifested. Since ancient times, its spiritual basis was the commonality of worldview, rituals, customs, and folklore. The same image varied in the works of different masters. When someone found a new technique or motive, it quickly became public knowledge. As a result, the art of not one or several masters, but of an entire craft as a single creative organism, developed and enriched. And today, the artists of Palekh and Khokhloma, the village of Kubachi and Polkhovsky Maidan are proud of their belonging to the unique art of their native craft, and together they solve the creative problems facing it (see Folk artistic crafts).

Isn’t this where the amazing cheerfulness of folk art comes from - from the awareness of one’s own strength! After all, behind every thing - be it a carved spinning wheel or an embroidered towel, a painted spoon or a woven tablecloth - is the talent, work and unanimity of many people, ideally an entire people! And beauty also comes from this source. And of course, from native nature, from which the master learns tirelessly. And she takes colors, rhythms, and forms - remember at least the buckets in the shape of a swimming bird, typical of the Russian North. Like nature, folk art selects only the best and polishes it over centuries, creating truly perfect technology, forms, ornaments, and colors. Over time, all this acquires the character of tradition: since the beautiful achieved must be preserved - this is the demand of the people. That is why they talk about works of folk art as monuments of history and culture.

Today we buy the “golden” Khokhloma bowl not because it is needed on the farm. It enchants us with the nobility of its form and the elegance of its painting. For this beauty, we seem to free the thing from performing its direct function and put it on the shelf as an interior decoration. Today, the decorative side is beginning to increasingly predominate in works of folk art.

When making any thing necessary for the household, the master used the conventional language of ornament to reproduce the picture of the world as he imagined it. One of the largest researchers of folk art, V.M. Vasilenko, recently “read” the symbolism of a wooden ladle-scoop from the area of ​​​​the city of Kozmo-Demyansk. Peering into the scoop, you can easily see the swan's head. Above is a circle and a rhombus decorated with radial notches. These are very ancient motifs, most often representing the sun. And the whole product is crowned with a horse figurine. He stands solemnly, as if on a pedestal. Without a doubt, this is not an ordinary peasant horse, but a real “fire horse”! To make the symbolism of the thing clear, let us remember that for centuries the people had a poetic idea that during the day a light in the sky was pulled in a cart by horses, and at night it was transferred to a boat, which was pulled along the underground ocean by swans or ducks.

This meaning, often incomprehensible to us now, made a completely ordinary thing an integral part of not only everyday life, but also the worldview of the people, associated with the peculiarities of their worldview and ethical ideals. Other aspects of a work of folk art are also inseparable: utilitarian and aesthetic. Over the centuries, unique rules have been developed that the masters have always followed. For example, the shape of an object is dictated by its purpose, so it is ideally simple and thoughtful. Further, any shape is the result of the special properties of the material. A clay jug will have one configuration, a wooden one of the same size will have a completely different configuration, and a copper one will also have its own configuration. Finally, the shape of the item and its decor must match each other.

Originating in ancient times, folk art has long been a national property. The situation changed with the development of class society. The division of labor gave rise to a new type of artistic activity - professional art, satisfying the spiritual and aesthetic needs of the ruling classes. At its center stood creative individuality with its uniquely personal perception of the surrounding world. By the beginning of the capitalist period, folk art in industrialized countries everywhere turned into the art of the working masses of villages and cities. Increasingly, it is assessed as “common” and “outdated.” The efforts of patrons who tried to save the “dear old days” could not change the fate of the folk artist, doomed to compete with the factory, throwing millions of faceless but cheap things onto the market. By the end of the 19th century. in most European countries it was practically solved.

In states that took the capitalist path of development later, the gap between folk and professional art was not so noticeable. Especially where, as in Russia, folkloric elements have deeply penetrated the culture of the upper strata of society. It is no coincidence that the golden ladles, decorated with light herbal patterns and now kept in the Armory, are very similar to their wooden counterparts that were used by ordinary people.

The folk art of Rus' was predominantly peasant, so it clearly reflected the farmer’s view of the world around him. What concepts occupy a central place in such a worldview? Sun, earth, water. And, of course, everything that grows on earth. Hence the main “characters” of folk art: the sun, which was most often depicted in the form of a cross, rhombus or rosette; horses and birds; mermaids firmly connected with the water element; the mythical Tree of Life, symbolizing the endless growth of earthly fruits; finally, Mother Cheese Earth, the image of which scientists recognize in women embroidered on towels with their hands raised to the sky, as if asking him for rain and beneficial sun rays, and in clay toys from various regions of Russia - a woman with a baby at her breast, and along the hem there are bright “suns”.

But life changed, and folk art changed along with it. After all, the power of tradition lies precisely in the fact that it sensitively responds to changes in reality, helping new things to be imprinted in art. If it were otherwise, folk art would have long ago turned into cold stylization. But it still makes us happy today! Gradually, the mythological meaning of ancient symbols was forgotten, and their connection with agricultural rituals weakened. At the end of the 19th century. The master often no longer knew what certain images meant, and yet he did not abandon them: he crowned the roof of the hut with a ridge, and carved solar rosettes on the shutters. True, gradually the ancient symbols acquired an increasingly noticeable decorative character, but something important for people from their original meaning was always preserved.

In the XVII-XIX centuries. Many new motifs entered the art of the people - the sources were Baroque, classicism, and empire styles. However, these images became an expression of a purely popular worldview, often even acquiring a new appearance. Thus, the lions on the window sills of Nizhny Novgorod huts clearly echo the stone lions of noble estates. But how good-natured they are: often such an animal resembles a dog or a cat. Folk art never copies, it always remains itself. We can say that there is no change of styles at all, which is so characteristic of professional art. All historical layers, starting with the most ancient, coexist in folk art, just as they are inseparable in the memory of the people. This is a clear example of the wise accumulation of cultural values.

Folk art experienced a rebirth in the USSR and socialist countries with its entry into the historical arena of the broad masses. A lot has been done during the years of Soviet power. Many artistic crafts that had died out were revived, and new folk artistic crafts arose, for example, lacquer miniatures by the former icon painters of Palekh, Mstera and Kholuy. The works of local artists are full of images of Soviet reality and carry new content that pre-revolutionary folk art did not know (see Palekh, Lacquer miniature).

Similar processes occurred in Kholmogory bone carving, in Fedoskino lacquer miniatures, in Tobolsk bone sculpture, and in Shemogodsk carved birch bark. Ukrainian wall painting appears to be a surprisingly fresh phenomenon, finding itself in easel-type art. The same can be said about Kosovo ceramics, painted Uzbek dishes, Georgian and Armenian pottery vessels, and the creativity of the northern peoples. Soviet folk art did not know the simple restoration of old traditions. On their basis, new decorative and applied art was created, imbued with genuine nationality.

Today it exists in two main forms. On the one hand, the traditional art of the village is still alive, connected with the unique way of life of a particular people and the characteristics of the surrounding nature. On the other hand, folk arts and crafts are developing, many of which have a rich history. The resolution of the CPSU Central Committee “On Folk Art Crafts” (1974) emphasizes the important role of folk art in the culture of a socialist society.

And today, works of folk art give us all the spiritual and aesthetic values ​​that the people have accumulated over the centuries. Here is the history of the country, its present day and future. Because the rich and varied art of a people is the guarantee of its creative power, moral health and historical longevity.

Folk art - artistic, folk art, folklore, artistic creative activity of the people; poetry, music, theater, dance, architecture, fine and decorative arts created by the people and existing among the masses. In collective artistic creativity, people reflect their work activities, societies, and way of life, knowledge of life and nature, cults and beliefs. Folk art, formed in the course of social labor practice, embodies the views, ideals and aspirations of the people, their poetic imagination, the richest world of thoughts, feelings, experiences, dreams of justice and happiness. Having absorbed the centuries-old experience of the people, folk art is distinguished by the depth of artistic mastery of reality, the truthfulness of images, and the power of creative generalization.

Folklore - oral folk art: fairy tales, heroic epics, proverbs and sayings, riddles, nursery rhymes, songs, etc.

A feature of folklore is its pronounced regional affiliation and historical specificity. Folklore as a historically specific form of folk culture does not remain unchanged, but develops together with the people, absorbing everything valuable that existed previously and reflecting new social changes. Therefore, folklore is always original and modern. It is for this reason that it has retained its educational function and can now be used in the educational process, as in the time of our great-grandmothers.

The richness of genres, themes, images, poetics of folklore is due to the diversity of its social and everyday functions, as well as methods of performance (solo, choir, choir and soloist), combination of text with melody, intonation, movements (singing, singing and dancing, storytelling, acting, dialogue, etc.). Over the course of history, some genres have undergone significant changes, disappeared, and new ones have appeared. In the ancient period, most peoples had tribal traditions, work and ritual songs, and conspiracies. Later, magical, everyday tales, tales about animals, and pre-state (archaic) forms of epic appeared. During the formation of statehood, a classical heroic epic emerged, then historical songs and ballads arose. Even later, non-ritual lyrical song, romance, ditty and other small lyrical genres and, finally, workers' folklore were formed.

Despite the bright national coloring of folklore works of different peoples of Russia, many motifs, images and even plots in them are similar.

In folk art, a fairy tale is probably the greatest miracle. When reading fairy tales, we, without noticing it ourselves, find ourselves at the mercy of fiction. Fairy tales always tell about something incredible, implausible, but at the same time, fiction carries a certain idea, usually materialized in hyperbolic images: good and evil are constantly fighting. The fairy tale calls for a fight against evil, against the enemies of the Motherland, to defend goodness and justice. It affirms the moral law of life, moral principles, norms, and aesthetic ideals are extremely clearly expressed. The fairy tale helps to believe in the power of good, which wins not on its own, but by overcoming difficulties and fighting evil.

In the satirical tale, people ridicule idleness, the desire to easily obtain the blessings of life, greed and other human shortcomings. And vice versa, it glorifies luck, resourcefulness, mutual assistance and friendship.

It turns out that the fairy tale is truth and fiction at the same time. “The fairy tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it: a lesson for the good fellow.”

The fairy tale has a specific linguistic style, which is characterized by melodiousness, repetitions of various phrases (once upon a time; in a certain kingdom, in a distant country, etc.). The language of fairy tales is very beautiful: melodious and poetic, containing many metaphors, comparisons, as well as apt and instructive proverbs and sayings. All these features make fairy tales an indispensable means of educating and educating children of different ages.

The heroic epic is very reminiscent of a fairy tale, but unlike it, the epic contains not fictional, but real heroes (Ilya-Muromets, Sadko, etc.). In the epic, the people glorify bravery, courage, and love for the Motherland. A short journey into the heroic epic will introduce children to the historical events of bygone years, and to the heroes of these events. Children will learn how our ancestors treated these events, because the work always reflects the soul of the author.

Aphorisms, proverbs, sayings are a source of folk wisdom. They reflect everyday life, customs, and very often echo fairy tales. This is a form of preserving edifications, moral teachings, teachings, and commandments among the people, trusted for thousands of years.

Proverbs are not antiquity, not the past, but the living voice of the people. People retain in their memory only what they need today and tomorrow. If a proverb talks about the past, it is assessed from the point of view of the present and the future - it is condemned or approved depending on the extent to which the past corresponds to popular ideals and expectations.

The proverb contains a popular assessment of life, observations of the people's mind, and affirms universal human values. Proverbs and sayings decorate and enrich a person’s speech, expand their vocabulary, and develop their imagination. After all, in order to use the simplest proverbs or sayings, the child must quickly assess the situation, apply it to the proverb, compare their correspondence again, and only then express his judgment.

Precision of thought and laconic presentation make it possible to quickly assimilate proverbs and sayings from an early age, to perceive them not as wishes, but as a norm of life.

Riddle is a genre of folk art, which, like proverbs and sayings, also belongs to small folklore forms. The value of riddles lies in their imagery, artistry and poetry. Bright, concrete, colorful artistic images of riddles help to take a fresh look at the world around us, develop a poetic view of reality, the ability to analyze it and, therefore, think logically. Thanks to such poetic devices used in riddles as metaphor, metonymy, personification, hyperbole, magical transformations occur with the simplest objects: an ear of corn becomes a tower, a carrot becomes a girl with a braid. Emphasizing this feature of riddles, M.A. Rybnikova wrote: “A riddle is the key of a verbal image, the grain of poetry, a metaphor.”

Metaphor and comparison in riddles differ from metaphors and comparisons in other literary and folklore genres in that here they are given in the form of an entertaining game task, and the attention of the listener or reader is specifically directed to the need for guessing, comparison and comparison. Consequently, the very artistic specificity of the riddle is the step that lifts a person up the ladder leading to an understanding of the poetic image, the development of artistic thinking and creativity.

Riddles in their content reflect the history of the formation and development of folk cultures. This is their special value. They form the first ideas about the unity of the world and its laws. Unlike proverbs and sayings, they are aimed at finding the identity or similarity of various objects and phenomena.

Riddles contribute to the development of a child’s memory, his imaginative and logical thinking, and mental reactions. A riddle teaches a child to compare the characteristics of different objects, to find commonality in them, and thereby develops his ability to classify objects and discard their unimportant characteristics. In other words, with the help of a riddle the foundations of theoretical creative thinking are formed.

In educational work with children, you can use other small forms of folklore that have specific developmental and educational functions: tongue twisters, pure tongue twisters, used to develop correct, phonetically pure speech; counting rhymes (game element); barkers (type of songs).

Folk music (musical folklore) - vocal (song), instrumental and vocal-instrumental collective creativity of the people. Being the property of the entire people, musical folklore exists thanks to the performing art of talented nuggets (kobzar , guslar, buffoon, etc.). The origins of folk music go far back. The musical traditions of different societies and formations are extremely stable and tenacious. In every historical era, more or less ancient musical works coexist, and newly created ones based on them. Together they form traditional musical folklore.

The main type of musical folklore is songs, epic tales (Russian epics), dance melodies, dance choruses (Russian ditties), instrumental pieces and tunes (signals, dances). Each piece of musical folklore is represented by a whole system of stylistically and semantically related variants that characterize changes in folk music in the process of its performance.

The genre wealth of folk music is the result of the diversity of its vital functions. Music accompanied the peasant’s entire work and family life:

calendar holidays of the annual agricultural circle (carols, vesnyanka, Maslenitsa, Kupala songs);

field work (mowing, harvest songs);

birth, wedding (lullabies and wedding songs);

death (funeral lamentations).

Later, lyrical genres received the greatest development in folklore, where simple, short tunes of work, ritual, dance and epic songs or instrumental tunes are replaced by detailed and sometimes complex musical improvisations - vocal (Russian lingering song) and instrumental.

The song has a number of advantages over other works of folk art. She expresses feelings in their pure form, the movement of the soul is not feigned. Another advantage of the song is its universality. Every folk song allows its performer to make any changes to it and relate it to a variety of situations.

Many songs have been created by the people: little songs and nursery rhymes, lullabies, chants, jokes, fables. And their educational functions are different. But the common thing is the aesthetic impact of music and words, the moral influence of the content, the cultivation of collectivism and spiritual sensitivity.

Folk theater, existing in forms organically related to oral folk art, originated in ancient times: the games that accompanied hunting and agricultural holidays contained elements of transformation. Theatricalization of the action was present in calendar and family rituals (Yuletide dressing up, weddings, etc.). In the process of development, the creative, playful principle in dramatic actions intensifies: games and performances arise that parody the wedding ceremony (Russian comedy game “Pakhomushka”). Such actions served as the basis for the further development of folk theater and drama.

In folk theater, a distinction is made between a theater of live actors and a puppet theater, often named after the hero of the performance (Petrushka in Russia, Punch in England, Pulcinella in Italy, Kasparek in the Czech Republic, etc.). The Russian Petrushka Theater was close to the Ukrainian nativity scene and the Belarusian batleyka. The variety of forms of folk puppet theater was determined by the difference in types of puppets, their control systems (cane puppets, puppets - puppets on strings, etc.). Folk puppet theaters performed plays retelling fairy tales and legends and staged “trampling stories.”

Folk theater also includes farce performances and the so-called rayok (showing moving pictures accompanied by dramatized text).

The most characteristic feature of folk theater (as well as folk art in general) is the open conventionality of costumes and props, movements and gestures; During the performances, the actors directly communicated with the audience, who could give cues, intervene in the action, direct it, and sometimes take part in it (sing along with the choir of performers, portray minor characters in crowd scenes). The folk theater, as a rule, had neither a stage nor decorations. The main interest in it is focused not on the depth of revealing the characters of the characters, but on the tragic or comical nature of situations and situations.

The folk theater introduces young spectators to verbal folklore, develops memory and imaginative thinking. Comic characters make fun of people's vices, dramatic characters teach empathy. By participating in his simple performances, the child learns to speak correctly and beautifully, give a speech in front of an audience, and overcome shyness.

Folk dance is one of the oldest types of folk art. The dance was part of folk performances at festivals and fairs. The appearance of round dances and other ritual dances is associated with folk rituals (Slavic round dances associated with the rituals of curling a birch tree, weaving wreaths, and lighting fires). Gradually moving away from ritual actions, round dances were filled with new content that expressed new features of everyday life. Peoples engaged in hunting and animal husbandry reflected their observations of the animal world in their dance. The character and habits of animals, birds, and domestic animals were figuratively and expressively conveyed: the Yakut dance of the bear, the Russian crane, the gander, etc. Dances on the theme of rural labor appeared: the Latvian dance of reapers, the Hutsul dance of woodcutters, the Estonian dance of shoemakers, the Belarusian lyanka, the Moldavian poame ( grape). Folk dance often reflects the military spirit, valor, heroism, and reproduces battle scenes (Georgian khorumi, berikaoba, Cossack dances, etc.). The theme of love occupies a large place in folk dance art: dances expressing the nobility of feelings, respectful attitude towards a woman (Georgian kartuli, Russian Baynov square dance).

In folk dance, the rhythmic principle always dominates, which is emphasized by the dancer (stomping, clapping, ringing bells). Many dances are performed to the accompaniment of folk instruments, which the dancers often hold in their hands (accordion, balalaika). Some dances are performed with household accessories (scarf). The costume has a great influence on the nature of the performance: for example, a long dress that covers the soles of the feet helps Russian dancers move smoothly; A characteristic movement in Russian men's dance is tapping on the top of hard boots.

Dance allows you to develop plasticity, special coordination of movements, techniques for relating movement to music. Children learn to move rhythmically, communicate with each other in motion (round dance, stream).

The most important folk crafts in Russia include pottery, weaving, artistic carving, decorative painting (Gzhel, Khokhloma), forging, artistic casting, engraving, embossing, etc.

In certain features of folk art, norms of work and life, culture and beliefs can be traced. The most common element is the ornament born in antiquity, which helps to achieve the organic unity of the composition and is deeply interconnected with the technique of execution, the feeling of the subject, the plastic form, and the natural beauty of the material. The idea of ​​a thing in folk craft is usually not fixed in a preparatory model or drawing, but lives in the mind and hand of the master; at the same time, the results of his individual ingenuity, leading to the development of the most rational methods of work, must be accepted by the people's collective. Because of this, the tradition fixed by centuries of selection undergoes constant, but only partial, specific changes. The most ancient objects (for example, wooden ladles in the shape of a duck) can be extremely close to life; later, while maintaining the general form and figurative basis, they combine them with centuries-old techniques of generalization, decorative stylization, and the rational use of technical means and materials.

Folk craftsmen have been highly valued since ancient times. The secrets of their craft were passed down from generation to generation, from father to son, combining the wisdom and experience of the past and the discoveries of the present. Children from an early age were involved in work and helping their parents.

Working together helps children better master a craft, learn from the experience of a mentor (parents), and instills hard work.

Thus, the richest images, themes, motifs, forms of folk art arise in the complex unity of individual (although, as a rule, anonymous) creativity and collective artistic consciousness. For centuries, people have been selecting, improving and enriching the solutions found by individual masters. The collectivity of folk art, which constitutes its constant basis and undying tradition, manifests itself during the entire process of formation of works or their types. This process, including improvisation, its consolidation by tradition, subsequent improvement, enrichment and sometimes renewal of tradition, turns out to be extremely extended in time. It is characteristic of all genres of folk art that the creators of a work are simultaneously its performers, and the performance, in turn, can be the creation of variants that enrich the tradition. Also important is the close contact of performers with people who perceive art, who themselves can act as participants in the creative process. It should also be noted that the long-preserved indivisibility and highly artistic unity of various genres: poetry, music, dance, theater, and decorative arts merged in folk ritual actions; in the people's home, architecture, carving, painting, ceramics, and embroidery created an inseparable whole; folk poetry is closely related to music and its rhythmicity, musicality, and the nature of the performance of most works, while musical genres are usually associated with poetry, labor movements, and dances. The works and skills of folk culture are passed on from generation to generation.

It is almost impossible to imagine a person’s life without creativity. Even in the Stone Age, people were drawn to everything beautiful and created objects that became an integral part of culture. Humanity has come a long way - from rock paintings to the development of high technologies. Creative activity is not just new discoveries and the creation of unique values. This is something without which it is impossible to imagine planet Earth.

What is creative activity?

This term refers to the creation by man of a new, previously non-existent product. Such activities include not only music, painting or poetry, but also a huge variety of other areas. Every person is capable of engaging in creative activities, regardless of their professional skills. This may be passive participation in research or scientific experiments. Anyone who empathizes or expresses other emotions can confidently say that they are engaged in creative activity. This fact does not only apply to humans - even animals are able to demonstrate their talents through unique opportunities.

Types of creative activity

Despite all the negative factors in human life, geniuses were born and created their imperishable creations. Even in prison and poverty, people could not live without bringing something new into this world. Every person is born a creator and has the makings of genius. Further development of talents depends only on the individual himself.

This creative activity has always occupied a special place in the life of mankind. Artists' works are considered cultural heritage and are subject to careful analysis. They are stored in rooms with a certain temperature and often in special frames that prevent the destruction of the canvas. The greatest creators have left an indelible mark on art. The smile of the “Mona Lisa” has haunted all connoisseurs of Leonardo da Vinci’s work for 5 centuries. Perhaps the most famous painting in the world causes a lot of talk and gossip. Someone compares the mysterious woman to a predator before the jump. To some, she seems to be the ideal of beauty. And there are those who do not see anything unusual in her and do not understand the hype around this portrait.

Thanks to artists, modern people can imagine how people lived and looked several centuries and even millennia ago. The most significant paintings are not put up for sale, but even less outstanding works by famous authors sometimes cost a fortune. Connoisseurs are willing to pay a lot of money for the right to own a work of art. The same “Mona Lisa” is estimated at a billion dollars, but you will never be able to see it at auction. Da Vinci wasn't the only one who created masterpieces. Paintings by Monet, Rembrandt, Titian, Goya, Salvador Dali. Renoir and Van Gogh are part of the world cultural heritage and are never put up for sale.

Music

This is the biggest source of inspiration and an integral part of any person's life. Marriages are celebrated to the music and people are seen off on their last journey; without it it is impossible to imagine a holiday or a romantic evening. The sight of this creative activity can evoke a variety of emotions - from hatred to love. It was not for nothing that composers wrote music for the marches to which soldiers went to war. It evoked not only patriotic feelings, but also gave confidence in victory. In the modern world, music is increasingly heard in operating rooms and helps surgeons during complex operations. In feature films, compositions can set the viewer in the right mood and even warn about what will happen in the next scene.

Just like artists, composers and musicians convey mood through their creativity. The listener can easily imagine the situation that became the source of inspiration for the author. Lyrics can have the greatest impact on human emotions. Melodies of the dramatic and epic kind have their own properties, but the strings in the soul are touched by sensual leitmotifs. It is worth noting that music can influence not only humans. Some animals perceive melodies and even react to them on a physical level.

Literature

Humanity treats this creative activity with special trepidation. Reading has always been one of the best ways to spend your free time profitably. It develops imagination and makes you experience a variety of emotions. Writers and poets are able to draw people with their talent into an unprecedented world of adventure, love or detective puzzles. The creators of human souls, teachers and pedagogues, instill a love of reading from childhood, because literature can change any person. The love of poetry is instilled with the goal of turning a little person into a sensual and spiritually developed member of society. Many novels, detective stories and other literary works can give the reader the necessary life experience.

Cinema

Cinematography has recently become an integral part of life. The desire to show people what they read in books led to the development of creative activities in the field of visual art. At the moment, feature films and animation occupy the first place among popular entertainment in the world. For over a hundred years, people have been going to cinemas to experience another world and experience unforgettable moments. Thanks to this type of creative activity, humanity can easily travel back in time or look into the future, as well as learn about the details of important historical events. Cinema can develop human feelings such as intuition, compassion, love, hatred and many others.

Arts and crafts

An equally important part of creative activity includes a huge variety of components: sewing, embroidery, knitting, weaving, burning, carving, mosaic, stained glass, decoupage, modeling, sculpture, weaving, painting. A person encounters this type of art every moment. Whole life is filled with patterns on finishing materials, dishes, clothes, and household items. Particular attention should be paid to this type of sculpture. Monuments that symbolize important events for the country and the world, as well as significant people in history, have always occupied an important place in the life of society. A few centuries ago, sculpture was the most popular form of art, admired by everyone - from the common people to kings. There are different priorities now, but it still has its weight in the culture.

Why is it important to engage in creative activities?

In all centuries, art has played a big role in human life. The craving for everything beautiful has led to the fact that the development of creative activity in children has become widespread. There are a large number of interest groups and various sections in any country. The child has the opportunity to choose what he wants to do in his free time. The choice is truly enormous, and this has significantly influenced the development of many industries over the past few decades. Already from childhood, a child must learn and develop in several directions, in addition to the school curriculum. This will help them achieve success in the future, because such people will be able to express their individuality.

Children and art

Children's creative activities help to reveal all aspects of a child's personality. You should not place high hopes on your baby and expect masterpieces from him - for an adult, these creations may not carry any value. But it is by the works of children that one can easily determine their state of mind and help with the choice of a profession in later life. You should not set any tasks for your child in the process of creative activity. Only fantasy and imagination should accompany them on the path to art. For children, the end result is not important - they are interested in the process itself. As in any other aspect of life, you need to praise your child for any achievements and results. This inspires and gives strength for new achievements.

More than a hobby

Organizing creative activities is important for every parent. Even at home, you can always find an interesting activity for your baby. Any game can develop imagination and easily reveal a child’s talents. Drawing can already determine in the first years after birth whether your child has a talent for this type of art. Educational games can answer the question of in which area a child will be most successful.

Educational establishments

Great responsibility falls on the shoulders of educators and teachers. It depends on them how much the child will be developed and able to understand the world around him. Most educational institutions have hobby groups, and music classes are included in the school curriculum. In addition, festive events are held where children can fully reveal their talent in plays, skits and musical performances. Chemistry and physics lessons include practical exercises and experiments, and this is also an integral part of creative activity. Russian language and literature develop imagination through presentations and essays on given topics. It has long been proven that absolutely any child has the ability for creative activity, and the task of teachers is to see them and help develop them. Do not forget that activities chosen and imposed by parents can harm and alienate children from art.

The importance of creative activity in the modern world

The beginning of the new century changed the idea of ​​culture. Looking at modern creative people, the average person has ambivalent assessments of their activities. The idea has become firmly established in our minds that these are slackers who simply do not want to physically work and therefore become writers, actors, musicians and fashion designers. But at the same time, these people happily consume the product of their creativity: films, songs, clothes and much more. The 20th century was oversaturated with wars, and the worldview of mankind changed. However, even in the most difficult times, it was art that allowed people to cope with sorrows and troubles.

In the new millennium, human creative activity has become a necessity. Everyone now has the opportunity to do what they love and get a calling in their chosen profession. Without creativity, people would still be living in the Stone Age. Only interest and curiosity made man a rational being. All inventions and discoveries were part of the creative process. In order not to stop there and continue to improve the quality of life, you need to constantly move forward and give free rein to your imagination and fantasy. After all, what was described in science fiction novels fifty years ago and was considered incredible fiction is now accessible to anyone!