G. S. Rayshev: Communication Functions of the Modern Artist

Abstract

The article considers a number of works by Gennady Stepanovich Rayshev as historical and ethnographic sources. The subject of the research is the components of his ethnic consciousness. The goal is to analyze the creative work of the Khanty artist as an original historical and ethnographic source reflecting the ethnic identity, the mentality of the indigenous people of the North and the features of the modern epoch. The research materials are based on the visual, historical and cultural analysis of graphic and pictorial canvases and principal statements of G. S. Rayshev on the problems of artistic creation. The analysis of Rayshev’s creativity shows how the intelligentsia of national minorities retransmits and transforms old and new myths. With the disappearance of traditional culture, the myth has not disappeared. Its forms changed, carriers changed radically, but deep structures were preserved. The myth still exists, although it has changed appearance. When different cultures “meet”, this allows creative personalities to act as mediators between the former mythical array and modernity. Without losing previous ties with their native culture, they are engaged in verbal or pictorial design of the worldview, feelings and thoughts of their ethnic group, and reflect their history and cultural realities. The horizons of artists are much wider compared to ordinary people. They retain ethnic stereotypes, knowledge about life and elements of everyday life that determine the specifics of people’s life longer. Their works have not only artistic value, but also the properties of a historical and ethnographic source.