|
Inflation, multi-division and transformation were the elements that characterized this last
decade of the 20th century, almost in all activities that compose culture. There was a great
increase in the quantity of publications, fine arts and theatrical and music productions.
The change of the situation after the war (Cold War) reduced interest in politics and society,
thus transforming the stimuli of cultural creation. As a direct consequence, culture in
the "age of globalization" lost the points of reference, which in the past formed
the basis of orientation. However, the diversity of expression with regard to arts and letters
was uneven in relation to the value of final products.
With reference to literature, prose was enhanced in quantity compared to poetry, mainly
through the novel. History was the basic source of inspiration for the latter, bearing witness
to the reflections of searching and redefining.
Among the musical styles that were developed or transformed ("entechno", meaning
'sophisticated', "ethnic", commercial-popular etc.) prevailed those that had been
promoted by the dominant, in this particular period, mass media. The establishment of the
Athens Concert Hall (1991), which in a way replaced state policy, allowed for the development
of styles that were somehow neglected (opera, ballet etc).
As far as theatre was concerned, new groups were formed and apart from performing classical
plays, new attempts and modern approaches of reconstruction were made, which combined in
an innovative manner dancing, music etc. Greek cinema improved, both through awards (T.
Angelopoulos-Palme d'Or) and through the return of viewers to cinema halls, as a result
of films with more accessible topical and narrative approaches.
Furthermore, there was a lot of activity in the field of visual arts, while we should point out that important exhibitions were organized by various institutions (for example the National Art Gallery) that were received enthusiastically by the public. Apart from this activity, important institutions were founded that cover a wide thematic range: the Foundation of the Hellenic World (1993) promotes the synthesis of history and culture with new technologies through Internet productions, Virtual Reality programs and interactive exhibitions at its cultural centre, Hellenic Cosmos, which was founded in 1998, the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki (1994) emerged as a centre for the research and promotion of Byzantium, while the National Museum of Modern Art (1997) presents the modern artistic trends in Greece and abroad.
|
|