Aesthetics of the human body from the interdisciplinary perspective
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| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | In the rural environment, perception pertaining to the aesthetics of the human body is often equated with clothing and its decoration. However, aesthetic standards are something of a construct determined by the contemporary social context, which does not have an absolute validity. Assessment from both ethnologists and amateur researchers is thus marked by considerable subjectivity. In addition, clothes came in a vast array of forms – from working clothing, which from the point of view of structuralism can be seen as a “thing”, to festive clothing which, owing to certain attributes, becomes a “sign”. A piece of clothing thus cannot be studied as a mere object of material culture; it is vital to take into consideration the social significance in which decorative elements play a key part. Their origin often stems from magical beliefs. The objective of this article is to demonstrate, on the phenomenon of decoration, the necessity of an interdisciplinary view in the context of ethnology as part of material, spiritual, and social culture (1). Cultural and historical circumstances cannot be overlooked, either; nor can be a certain amount of inspiration in the higher social strata. Hence a certain degree of knowledge of art history is necessary (2). Many decorative elements were made by craftsmen, and are as such evidence of folk-inspired rather than folk display, falling in the category of mass (popular) art connected with mass production, an area studied in more detail in history (3). One such closely connected theme is the transformation of aesthetic standards, the study of which cannot be conducted without a thorough analysis of both written and pictorial sources (4). All these viewpoints should conclusively form a synthesis painting a picture of the evolution of the human body’s aesthetic evaluation in both rural and small-town communities. |
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