Culture and the Arts

Culture and the Arts 

OUTLINE

1. DEFINITIONOF ART AND CULTURE

1. IS IT JUST A LUXURY OR NECESSITY?

1. HOW RICH OUR CULTURAL LIFE IS?

-depends on:....

If you live in a large city

• CINEMA
• THEATRE
• ART GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS

If you live in a small town or village

Other cultural events

• CONCERTS
• MUSICAL FESTIVALS

MUSIC AND THE FINE ARTS

1. MY FAVOURITE FORM OF ART
2. MY FAVOURITE FILM

1. MY LAST VISIT TO THE THEATRE

CULTURE AND THE ARTS

1. DEFINITION OF ART AND CULTURE

Culture

• it can be a way of life, customs,traditions, way clothing,etc. or simply a group of people who have the same way of life, belief,attitudes, religion,...

Forms of art that generally come under the heading of ´culture´are as follows:

1. fine arts-referring to painting and sculpture and we can admire them in galleries or various exhibitions.But also architecture and ceramics belongs here too.
2. performing arts-referring to the opera, theatre, ballet,dance, cinema, concerts (of classical music, jazz, pop, modern,rock, country,western...)
3. literature-represented by novels, short stories, biographies, dramas and poetry.

• According to The Concise Oxford Dictionary culture is defined as ´the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively´.

Art

As a general definition we consider art to be the creation of something that is aesthetically pleasing.

1. IS IT JUST A LUXURY OR A NECESSITY?

They are important parts of our lives They make our everyday lives more interesting and enjoyable and develop our creativity. We can say thet through culture and the arts, people also express their interests and hobbies. It brings joy to our lives that become richer, interesting and broadens our minds. What is more, it is a source of inspiration and it challenges (stimulates) our imagination. On the other hand, it develops or personality and it is a great tool for socialization (improves our social life). Taking everything into account, it influences our lives very positively.

1. HOW RICH OUR CULTURAL LIFE IS?

It depends on:

-our interests,hobbies and passions.

-the opportunities we have→ whether we live in a city or village because our opportunities depend on the cultural facilities aviable and the events held there.

IF YOU LIVE IN A LARGE CITY:

-you have a good choice of cultural facilities like:

CINEMAS that try to attract visitors by offering a wide variety of film genres (comedies, dramas,horrors, thrillers,and animated films suitable for small children as well as for adults, but also the latest action-packed studded hollywood blockbusters), comfortable seats, air condition, refreshment aviable (bought in the cinema bar; you can eat even during the film-unlike in the theatres), an excellent picture(HD quality, sometimes even 3D version) and sound, but also they attract them by having a simple system-we don´t have to book tickets in advance, we can get them straight away at the cinema. Going to the cinema is very popular especially among teenagers and young people even though the price of admission is quite high today.

In the past it was a necessity to book the tickets for a performance in advance if you wanted to avoid long queuing in front of the box office. The cinemas were often packed and the tickets were sold out. Since that time attendance has declined partly due to the fact that people have lass free time and are lazier to leave their homes. But on the other hand, television can contribute positively to the nation´s education and to the country folks, it really brings culture right to their homes. You can watch news, comments on home and foreign affairs,travelogues, natural science programmes and good old films. Sports fans can enjoy live broadcasts of interesting sports events.

The cinemas do not draw large audiences nowadays also on account of the repertory focused on presenting commericial, action films which do not interest more demanding cinemagoers. Don´t let slip the opportunity to see silent films,too, like The Artist.

THEATRES - there are more theatres in our city: The National Theatre ( the old and new building) where drama, opera and ballet are played.Slovak National Theatre historical building is situated on Hviezdoslavovo Square and the new building is located on Pribinova Street.

There are also smaller theatres like:Theatre New Scene, The City Theatre(Hviezdoslavova), The SND's Small Theatre, The Studio 12, Theatre Astorka Korzo'90,Arena Theatre, Studio L+S, Theatre West, Naive Theatre of Radosina,Bratislava Puppet Theatre,Theatre Stoka ,GU na GU Theatre ,Theatre AHA ,Studio Kaplnka,Theatre Wustenrot ,The Ludus Theatre , Slovak Mimo Theatre, Teátro Neline.

Visitors to a theatre can choose from many kinds of performances such as drama, comedy, opera, musical or the ballet. Going to a theatre is a social event for most people.

-admission tickets can be purchased at the box office, but usually they are bought in advance in order to make sure you get a seat and avoid a performance being sold out.

-theatre is a building where plays, dramas, comedies and tragedies are shown, performed and staged.

-comprises a FOYER-which is a place where people can wait,talk or enjoy a drink before the beginning or during the intervals between the 2 (sometimes 3) acts of the performance.

-visitors usually come dressed up formally and smartly: women wear dresses or skirts with blouse and high-heeled shoes, smart hand bags. Men usually go to theatres in suits with a shirt under it and with a tie around their necks and ceremonial shoes.

-first people go to a cloakroom (cloakhall or checkroom), where they take their coats off and hand them over to the cloakroom attendants and in turn receive a checkroom or cloakroom ticket.

-If they want to get datailed information on/about a particular performance, thay buy a theatre programme from a programme seller. You can also hire a _____________ or opera glasses to get a better view.

-those who have difficulties with finding their seats can ask an usherette (box attendant) who can show them their seats.

-WHERE CAN YOU SIT?You can sit in the stalls, in the boxes, in the dress circle (1^st balcony), upper circle (2^nd balcony) and gallery/stand in the gods

In the auditorium there are tip-up seats ordered in rows with aisles(gangways) in between.

-over the auditorium on the middle of the ceiling there is a chandelier, which lights the whole auditorium.+there is also a separated lightening system with the curtain and the orchestra pit.

-after the people find their seats, some like to read a brochure (synipsis) and see the cast-who plays the supporting roles, the main role, who´s the director, who designed the stagewho rehearsed the play, who designed the sceenary,the costumes, where the premiere was and the content of the play(the plot).

-the musicians come and begin to tune their instruments and soon the conductor appears and the orchestra starts to play an overture. The lights go out, the curtain goes up and the performance begins. It has several acts (3-2 with intervals to have a pause we walk in tha foyer) and when the performanceis over, the audience applauds (claps or brusts into applause) or give a standing ovation.The actors come out and bow, sometimes they get flowers. The curtain comes down. Sometimes they are called out again-sometimes there are many curtain calls and they have to give encores.

Those who like fine arts enjoy going to ART GALLERIES to see exhibitions of classical, modern art of e.g. photograpy, sculptures and illustrations that are held all year round.
Others prefer going to MUSEUMS to learn about the history of their region or country or to see the exhibits showing them the lives of their forefathers. Natural science museums display exhibits from the natural world around us.

Museums: The National Museum (Archeological Museum, Historical Museum, Music Museum, Children´s Museum, Natural Science Museum, etc.), Museum of Transport, Museum of Weapons in Bratislava (Michalská 22 ),the Bratislava City Museum (in Old Town Hall),the Pharmacy Museum and the Museum of Clocks.

Galleries: the National Gallery, Bratislava City Gallery (Galéria mesta Bratislava), galleries in palaces like Mirbach and Palffy, in town halls and private art galleries.

IF YOU LIVE IN A SMALL TOWN OR VILLAGE:

there are less opportunities for cultural life. The only aviable facility is the local ´House of Culture´ or ´Community Centre´ a village club or discos and ballsare held on special occasions several times a year. In small towns we can find a small cinema, an amateur theatre group, but when you want to see a good film or a theatre performance, you have to go to the town which costs more. On the other hand, you can also stay at home and watch TV or create your own art.

OTHER CULTURAL EVENTS:

• Concerts- Concerts of classical music are in spring and autumn (this season is called BA Music Festival) and are mosty held in the building of Slovak Philharmony, but also in the BA Castle or in churches like St. Martin´s Church. Concerts of classical chamber music and recitals are held also in concert halls in the Town Hall.

There are also various concerts of pop and rock,too in tha cultural house, Incheba, in sport stadiums, or in the open air for example on the Hviezdoslav Square.

• Musical festivals – thera are various folk festivals which are held in summer at sport stadiums, open-air theatres, farmer´s fields in villages where hundreds of fans can participate. Other festivals are of different genres of music :

Festivals: Pohoda, Grape, Hip-hop, Uprising, Top Fest, etc.

Folk Festivals: Východná, Myjava, Pod Poľanou, Jánošík Days, Horehronie,etc.

MUSIC AND THE FINE ARTS

Music

We live in the world surrounded by music and architecture without actually realizing it.

We come into contact with music all our lives. When we are little,we listen to lullabies sung by our mothers and then we try to sing some songs ourselves. Many of us take music lessons at a music school if they have a musical talent. There are various kinds of music instruments we play:

the pianoor a wind instrument such as the recorder,the pipe, the flute,the clarinet,the oboe or the the bassoon or they blow a trumpet,play the accordion or a string instrument (the violin, the viola or the violoncello).From time to time they show their skills at a concert to a large audience. They often play to the piano accompaniment of their teacher. Later,under the influence of recorded pop music broadcast by the radio and TV their affection and taste may change. They start to play the guitar,the banjo, the bass,the drumsor the keyboard. They also often develop a liking for dancing music by taking dancing lessons. We can become members of dance clubs which offer both standard dances,such as the polka, Viennese walts, waltz, foxtrot or tango and Latin American ones such as the jive, rumba, cha cha and some disco and modern dances.

Large towns often invite renowned symphonic orchestras with outstanding conductorsand hold music festivals such as the Edinburg Festival or Music and the Arts or the Bratislava Music Festival. These orchestras usually have in their repertoire music by noted composers of all styles and periods. We can listen to church, organ and chamber music,operas and operettas and musicals, Stars of pop, jazz and rock music-in large concert halls and stadiums.

In the country festivals of country music and brass band music are held and at Christmas time carols are often heard. If there is a choir(male, female and children´s or mixed) people go to listen to its performance. 

Most of us switch on the radio to hear the time signal, morning news, press review or some good music or a hit parade. Some other programmes, such as popular talks, phone-ins or discussions with well known personalities can be very interesting,too.

The fine arts

In our everyday life we also meet with works of the fine arts, either architecture, sculptures or painting. When we see both secular and ecclesiastical buildings, such ascastles, chateaux, palaces,country mansions, thatched cottages, half-timbered houses, gables and facades of the houses, churches,cathedrals, chapels,monasteries or cemeteries,we must admire the art of architecture of the old builder-masters,masons and wood carves and their feeling for beauty.

In museums and art galleries which display sculptures and paintings,we look with pleasure

at statues and sculptural groupscut in sandstone, granite,marble, carved in wood or moulded in clay,plaster or bronze, or have a high regard for paintings(landscapes, life size portraits,still lifes,sketches, miniatures ) painted in oil and watercolours, drawings, graphic art,engravings,etchings or woodcuts. Also book illustrations or cartoons and photographs in their favourite magazine.