From Communism to Western Art: A Personal Cultural Journey

Introduction: From Communism to Western Culture

Leaving the bleak post-Communist country I lived in and entering the United States has been an experience that managed to change everything — from my beliefs to my perceptions, from my perspective on art to the way I saw the artistic process and all the new currents I discovered in my new country.

The first notable thing that happened to me was discovering, with some surprise, that there is more to art than what I had experienced under the Communist regime. The immense Communist buildings gave way to the marvelous masterpieces of the Renaissance, including the incredible European churches. The Communist movies — some of them art forms in their own right, but always gloomy and reflecting the grim reality surrounding us — were replaced by American sitcoms and comedies. Shows like Seinfeld and Friends reflected the entire American attitude: free and easy, without the constant preoccupations about what one would eat the next day or whether the political police were following one's every move. Americans were the perfect audience for such shows.

Liberty, democracy, freedom, and a better life altogether meant that I now had the time and spiritual space to enjoy art forms that abounded in Western civilization — art I could now properly study and appreciate.

Literature: Popular and High Art

Fiction could be summarized for me with two names: Tolkien and Gabriel García Márquez. The former represents perhaps the best example of what popular art is all about. Easy to read, without ambiguities or philosophical diversions, Tolkien's works are keen to reveal traces of humanity and human action, even when using elves and dwarves to do so. Wars between empires, as presented in some of Tolkien's works, are elements with which our own history has been populated throughout the ages.

Of a completely different nature are García Márquez's works. High art by excellence, they are the finest example of philosophical literature. Not only is his philosophical message worth noting, but so is the entire way his books are constructed. Take, for example, his best-known work, One Hundred Years of Solitude. Presenting the evolution of a family in a small village is just a pretext the author uses to give expression to his inner thoughts and ideas, as well as to the surrealistic images that seem to populate his imagination.

I had not had much previous contact with Shakespeare. The most famous playwright of all time, Shakespeare is also someone who is keen on presenting his own era, as well as bits of history from England's troubled past — as in his historical plays Henry V and Richard III. One of the most remarkable things about Shakespeare, however, is that he always seems contemporary, no matter what era is portrayed. Romeo and Juliet are not only heroes of medieval Verona; they embody the lovers' drama of all times.

Theatre and Film

Amadeus represents a somewhat different style. First of all, it is designed exclusively to portray and praise the genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — boy prodigy and one of the greatest musicians of all time. The play obviously addresses an audience already familiar with Mozart's life, with the existence of his rival Salieri, and with some of his works. Nevertheless, it remains an excellent way of learning about him.

One of the best projections of American society is the movies. From Star Wars to The Hours, there is something for everybody. If you want to see excellent special effects and cutting-edge technology, Star Wars is the obvious choice. Spaceships, spectacular weaponry, and space battles all guarantee an enjoyable experience for the full duration of the film.

The Hours, on the other hand, is the type of movie that qualifies as high art. Presenting the life of Virginia Woolf, it assumes that the viewer is at least somewhat familiar with the writer — with her psychological struggles and the nature of her books. In between these two extremes is The Blues Brothers: relaxed and casual, not quite a comedy, though full of funny moments, the movie follows the band's reunion with an almost obsessive energy throughout.