General definition of art is: It is the creation of something that is
“aesthetically pleasant”.
Art is a way of communicating feelings. The artists express themselves in many forms- music,
literature, painting, etc.
Art can be divided into:
- Fine arts/Visual arts/Decorative arts
– refer to paintings, sculptures, photography, ceramics, graffiti, fashion design, craftsand architecture.
-
Performing arts-they are represented bydance,cinema, theater, music, opera, magic and circus art.
The aim of the culture and art is:
- to entertainandeducate
-feed the mindand stimulateimagination
-give the
impressionandemotions
- Music
Music is everywhere around us. We can listen to music from the radio channels, on TV, on the Internet, from CD players, MP3 players, etc.
Listening to music is a way of relaxation, and very often we turn on the radio just not to be lonely. It sometimes serves only as a background noise. It can help people to concentrate, relax or just have fun.
Many young people choose to play a musical instrument. The most popular instruments are the piano, guitar, drums and the keyboard. These people often set up a band to play music together.
Singing is also very common nowadays, due to the talent shows on TV as American Idol, X factor, Superstar.
-
Classical music,e.g. Beethoven, Mozart, Bach.
This type of music is written by a composer and performed by
an orchestra(= a large
group of musicians – violinists, cellists, pianists, guitarists, drummers..). The orchestra has a
conductor.
- Opera,a play in which the words are sung, e.g. Carmen by Bizet,
Nabucco by Verdi.
- Rock and pop music,e.g.U2, Madonna, Robbie Williams.
Pop music styles - punk, rap,
hip-hop, reggae, dance music, rock, jazz, blues, pop
Most bands/groups have a lead singer,a lead
guitarist(guitar with 6 strings), a bass guitarist(4 strings) and a drummer.
- Theatre
Going to the theatre is a social event. People usually wear formal, more elegant clothes. E.g. men wear a suit, shirt and a tie, women put on a skirt, a blouse or a blazer. There are also some rules we have to keep on mind: we do not eat, drink or talk during the performance, we turn off our mobiles phones, and we do not come late. We usually booktickets in advance. At the theatre keen theatre goers can watch various plays, musicals, operasand ballets. When we see the play, it is called performance.
- Cinema
Cinemas are popular especially with young people and families with kids. The atmosphere in the
cinema is more relaxed than in the theatre. We can eat popcorn, drink a Coke, laugh out loudly and enjoy the film.
Films are
shown on a screen. Films made in foreign languages, e.g. in English usually have subtitles or
they are dubbed. Some of the films are shown in three-dimension (3D films). In summer, people go to open-air cinemas.
The
person who makes the film is the director,e.g. Steven Spielberg, and the people in the film
are actorsoractresses.Very famous actors are often called film stars.
- war film
- western - horse opera
- thriller
- disaster movie
- action film – these films are full of stunt men and
special effects
- horror film
- detective film
- comedy
-
romantic film
- science fiction film
- cartoons
- Exhibitions
Many of
us also like to visit art exhibitions. Every city has exhibition spaces, where individual exhibitions take place. The most frequent are picture
exhibitions. Besides these exhibitions, there are exhibitions of photographs, statues, as well as objects made of wood, glass, human body.
- Museums and Galleries
Cultural life includes also visiting museums. There are many kinds of museums. These can be
museum of history, agriculture, industry, technical museum and others. Often there is a guide, who takes us around the museum.
The works of famous artists like Picasso, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Monet can be seen in museums and galleries all over the world. The artist are categorized by styles- Impressionism, Modernism, Surrealism.