Maksim Kuznetcov
ART Habens
I do not see much of incompatibility between Tradition and Contemporariness. That which is usually referred to traditional( or classical) art is the art of Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, The Dark Ages, The Renaissance. The difference, but not a contradiction, in my opinion, is that artists for thousands of years had to obey rules and regulations of the Christian state, or other mono- or polytheistic doctrines; the repressive laws and ethics of the times that inevitably restricted the dimensions of freedom of expression that artists could develop. It is a great virtue of our time that artists, as well as other members of the society, are free to try and fail, to experiment, to copy and make attempts in high parody. The millennia of the past has produced much artistic wisdom, and many achievements and artistic struggles that we should learn from. These tools should be at the disposal of modern artists, whether they choose to use them or not.
We should not forget that there are still many places on the planet earth where artists cannot freely choose the subject or the style for their art, where societies are not free. And this is rarely due to the myopic attitude of the artist, but rather often due to the dogmatism and tyranny that governs such societies. Could Andy Warhol survive in modern day North Korea?
21 406 Special Issue