The Pendulum of Culture. From Formation to Decline

The purpose of these lectures is to help a person, far from systematic study of culture, to start orienting themselves in the global cultural process. The morals of classical Antiquity, the painting of the High Renaissance, Russian realism, modern postmodern art, the language of kitsch, advertising, and our everyday life — we see that the language of culture changes, but is there an unseen law, like a pendulum, that determines its movement? From the caves of the Stone Age to the birth of the metropolis — the author traces the stages of cultural formation and highlights the signs that characterize a culture leaning towards decline. You hold in your hands a time-tested course of lectures, supplemented by articles on art that reveal cultural ideas through specific examples. Arseniy Stanislavovich Dezurov is a philologist, art historian, a regular participant in archaeological excavations of ancient Greek cities, and a popular lecturer. He teaches cultural theory at MFTI GU (‘PhysTech’), and previously worked at MPGU, MGIMO, and HSE. His research interests include German romanticism, the aesthetics of the comic, grotesque, and ancient archaeology.