• The Journal of Art Theory & Practice
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• no.7
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• pp.125-163
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• 2009

The artworks of Socialist Realism of the former Soviet Union, with the beginning of the 21st century, are gaining a new attention from art collectors. One reason for this might consist in the fact that relevant art pieces exemplify the ways in which they visualize ideas on the basis of their high-profile art tradition and also in which they integrate their utopian ideals with mysticism. These aspects of the Soviet art goes far beyond the wide-spread assumption that their art, as a means of propaganda, principally represents a political allegiance to the system. With Stalin coming into power in the 1930s, the artistic trend of Socialist Realism obtained a nationwide sympathy and support from people, giving birth to a new art which essentially corresponded to the demands of the political power. An official art current of the USSR over the period from the 1930s to 1950s, Socialist Realism was in tandem with the Communist commitment to the party and popularity, symbolizing a loyalty to the cause. It was thus characterized by plainness and lucidity so that ordinary people could gain easy access to art. Its salient feature, over an entire range of art, was an optimistic pursuit of a utopian dream. Therefore, it tallied with the popular sentiment for a Communist paradise, giving form to their beliefs in human agency working at the materialist world and also to such abstract concepts as force, fitness, and beauty by adding even mythical ideals. Its main subject matter includes harvest feasts of collective farms, imaginary socialist cities, grand marches of heroic laborers and in this way it served as a propaganda for a sacred utopia of socialist totalitarianism. On the other end of the spectrum, however, rose the second camp of art, which put an emphasis on bona-fide artistic activities of plastic art and on an artist's personal expression and freedom, as opposed to the surface optimism of Socialist Realism. Central to the Russian Avant Garde art, which prized the above-mentioned values, were Malevich's Geometric Abstraction and A. Rodchenko's Constructivism. Furthermore, in the transitional era of the late 20th century and the 21st century it was recognized that film art or electronic media art, rather than traditional genre of paintings, would function as a more efficient way of propaganda. These new genres were made possible by ridiculing the stereotypes of the Russian lifestyle and also by ignoring ethical or professional dimensions of artworks. That is, they reinvented themselves into a sort of field art, seemingly degrading the quality of artworks and transforming them into artifacts or simulacres in the very sense of post-modernism. The advent of the new era brought about the formation and occupation of pop culture of the younger generations, calling into question the idea of art as the class-determined. It also increased the attention to field art, which extensively found way to modern art centers, galleries, and exhibition projects. It can be stated that this was a natural outcome of human nature.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.1011-1049
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• 2011

This study is mainly to investigate the influences of both Western's utopian socialism and cooperatives ideas on the process of China's rural cooperation from 1919(the occurrence of 5.4 movement) to 1958(the completion of People's commune). To accomplish this, first, we will discuss that how these two ideas emerged as an alternative to Western capitalism in the before/early 20th century were introduced into China and how these ideas effected on the process of the China's Communist Revolution. Then, we will review the process of China's rural cooperation during the 1950s' new socialist nation-building period since the foundation of New China(1949), the sharp debates about rural cooperation in the process of its realization, and the reasons of radically promoting rural cooperation in the late 1950s. Finally, through these debates and experiences regarding rural cooperation in rural China during 1919-1958, any implications in solving rural cooperation problems of contemporary China facing difficulties will be provided.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.105-114
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• 2003

This study aims to investigate the thoughts of the utopians for the ideal community in 19th century. Around late 18th century, the ideal community proposals by the utopians were coming out as an alternative to reform the social and economical structure. The experimental community proposals which suggested by the utopian socialists such as Robert Owen and Charles Fourier took their emphasis on the social reform to improve the environment of work in terms of social and economical organization. While the thoughts of ideal community showing up in the literature by utopians were based on the state socialism that accompanied by the ultimate corrective system of production and distribution and the unified social system, the physical organization was described in more detail without a restriction in contrast to the real proposals for the ideal community. Based on the experimental community and the ideal community in the literature in 19th century, the urban model of late 19th century were proposed as a real community model. With the optimistic belief to the technological development resulted from the Industrial Revolution, the urban models of utopia placed greater emphasis on the physical organization than the previous ideal communities in 19th century and had much influence on the modern urban planning in 20th century.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.15 no.5 s.58
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• pp.12-19
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• 2006

The artistic features of German Expressionism in the early twentieth century are often recognized for its abstract and emotional representation in art and architecture. Expressionism departed from the paintings, notably the works of Der Blaue Reiter and the Bruck, but the architectural works with curve and organic features were also taken as expressive. German architects Hans Scharoun (1893-1972) and Hugo Haring (1882-1958), in this regard, have long been regarded as Expressionist architects, but recent studies suggest that their architectural designs include a profound idea of modem functional building. Scharoun and Haring held a socialist utopian vision as other modernists have also had, but their inherent view upon modern architecture was function which was mistakenly viewed as Expressionism in earlier documents. This paper intends to exemplify how Expressionism is inappropriate to represent the expressive presentations of Scharoun and Haring. Despite the fact that their designs possess certain expressionist elements, their works can also be constructed as an advanced functionalism. Many young architects in Germany were not given chances to build due to economic hardship after the First World War, and they were naturally led to imagery sketch designs for future architecture. Abstract Idea was freely exposed in its preliminary visual form, and it is also uneasy to draw a borderline between expressive presentation and the Expressionism itself.