Jurate Macnoriute
National Spirit

We can notice differences of art of various nations. Let us try to ascertain differences of national art spiritualities. For this research I decided to take nine details of nine pictures by nine artists from different nine countries. The selection was based on my opinion, that exactly these depicted human heads (Fig. 1) are most typical.

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Fig. 1. Details of pictures of Raphael, Christoph Amberger, Goya, Ter Borch, Kiprensky, Manet, Charles Willson Peale, Hughes, and Tsukioka Yoshitoshi.

4. Dutch Ter Borch (Fig. 1.4). Depicted free from idealization young woman from the rich social group. She does not pose, it is shown a moment of preparing her toilets. Beautiful colors. Woman's character seems ambitious. This image best fits to levels formal beauty and purport of communication as depending to genre painting. The message carried by picture can be such: "I have to look well. Help me please. I am not happy enough with my appearance."

5. Russian Kiprensky (Fig. 1.5). Depicted beautiful romantic, sane woman free from idealization. Naturalness. Represented a long time. Face open, eyes clearly communicate with viewer. Character soft, warm, cordial, sincere. Mood poetical. It fits to levels: formal beauty, feelings, and purport of communication. The message carried by picture can be such: "I like you and I am prepared to hear out your problems, maybe I can help you." That is why a lot of little nationalities liked to live together with Russians.

6. French Manet (Fig. 1.6). Depicted beautiful daydreaming woman, a barmaid. Represented a long time. Poetical. Beautiful colors. It fits to levels formal beauty and feelings. The message carried by picture may be such: "I am a barmaid. It is an awful bore having to stand in bar. I am a little tired. Tomorrow this same. Although I like to be here."

7. American Charles Willson Peale (Fig. 1.7). Depicted active, sane, almost unpleasant, clever, courageous man. Naturalness. Represented a moment of time. Character strong, dictatorial. No poetical. It fits to level formal beauty, because author's masterly in portraiture is clearly noticeable. Other levels are feelings (heroic -- supermen hero) and presence of purport of communication, because eyes of depicted man look tensely, and he prepares to say something important for somebody. His saying can be ascertained such: "You are a fool."

8. English Hughes (Fig. 1.8). Depicted young sane courageous woman idealized accordingly to Greek classic. Her character associates with superman personage's. Mood poetical. Levels formal beauty, feelings, and purport of communication. The message carried by picture can be such: "I try to be beautiful very much, and you must like me." That is one of causes why English language became international.

9. Japanese Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (Fig. 1.9). Depicted beautiful fantastic woman. Character soft, warm, withdrawn. Poetical. Beautiful colors. It fits to levels formal beauty and feelings, and purport of communication. The message carried by picture can be such: "I am so beautiful, sweet and clear that everyone likes me".

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Fig. 2. Ancient Roman, Bonzi, Zurbaran, Aenvanck, Chardin, Khrutsky, Claesz, Fidelia Bridges's still life.

Let us continue research into still life of various painters of various nations.

1. Ancient Roman still life (Fig. 2.1) distinguishes by simplicity and bright jolly colors.

2. Italian Bonzi's still life (Fig. 2.2) distinguishes by richness, beauty, and harmonic jolly sounding colors.

3. Spanish Zurbaran's still life (Fig. 2.3) distinguishes by seriousness, simplicity, tectonics.

4. Flemish Theodoor Aenvanck's still life (Fig. 2.4) distinguishes by richness, beauty, tectonics.

5. French Chardin's still life (Fig. 2.5) distinguishes by simplicity, by depicted homely things, soft and pretty colors, tectonics, poetic, harmonic jolly sounding colors.

6. Russian Khrutsky's still life (Fig. 2.6) distinguishes by complicated beautiful and perfect composition, unvaried colors, tectonics, poetic. By its mood the picture reminds of Russian icons of the 15th century.

7. Dutch Pieter Claesz's still life (Fig. 2.7) distinguishes by richness and perfect painting of various materials.

8. American Fidelia Bridges's still life (Fig. 2.8) distinguishes by interesting subject, naturalistic colors, precise drawing, absence of tectonics. Its spirituality has high developed the fourth level.

If we compare pictures of American artist Hopper and French Manet, we clearly can notice difference between their spiritualities. American distinguishes by emphatic nostalgic perspective, large emptiness, loneliness of personages. French picture distinguishes by abundance of details, liveliness, beauty, warmth.

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If we compare pictures of Russian and American artists on theme "Approaching storm" (1. Ivan Shishkin, Gathering Storm. 2. Vasiliev, Before Storm. 3. Thomas Moran, Approaching Storm. 4. Fitz Hugh Lane, Approaching Storm), we can notice such differences: Russian landscapes have more simple ordinary motif, more naturalness, more warmth; American ones are colder, more spectacular, their compositions more artificial and expressive.

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Thus we can come to generation of some conclusions.

Italian art's spirituality lies in beauty, jolly harmonic colors, very most perfect drawer's abilities.

Analyzed German art's spirituality lies in naturalness and soft sentimental feelings. Although we know that features of modern and some old German art are irrationality, unnaturalness, deformation, shrill colors.

Spanish art's spirituality lies in expression of stormy feelings, seriousness, simplicity, dark colors, strong contrasts.

Dutch art's spirituality lies in richness of depicted objects, simplicity, naturalness, beauty, absence of deliberate posing, perfect painting of various materials.

Russian art's spirituality lies in fraught beautiful composition, creation conditions for communication between picture and viewer, naturalness, poetic, warmth, excelent drawing, representation of a long time.

French art's spirituality lies in simplicity, in choice of usual homely things and people for objects of picture, by soft and pretty colors, soft lightness, light poetic, liveliness.

American art's spirituality lies in naturalness, poetic, precise drawing, interesting subjects, nostalgic perspectives, large emptiness, loneliness of personages, supermen heroes, spectacular and artificial, but beautiful composition.

English art's spirituality lies in idealization accordingly to Greek classic, superman personages, feelings from sentimentality to grotesque.

Chinese-Japanese art's spirituality lies in beauty, tenderness, poetic, pretty colors, large emptiness, untold purport.

All articles on theme spirituality of art

1. Introduction to Spirituality of Art

2. Characteristics of Spirituality

3. Differences Between Sacred and Unholy Arts

4. Spirituality in Various Art Styles

5. Goodness and Evil in Art

6. Halo in European Art. Recognition of Picture Figures. Semantic Level of Art Analysis
   

7. Proportions of the Golden Ratio and Whole Numbers Determining Character of Spirituality in Art

8. National Spirituality

9. Particularities of Spirituality of Women Art

10. Spirituality and Mental Illness

11. Abstract Art and Spirituality.
    

12. Gallery of parodies of modern art creation

13. The Closing Section of Research Into Spirituality Of Art