What is the underground. Russian Underground

To understand the essence of this term, characterizingdirection in art, we turn to the translation of the word from English. What is an underground? Literally underground is a subway, underground. For representatives of the underground in various spheres (literature, music, cinema, and visual arts), it is very characteristic that the opposition of one's work to the generally accepted values, norms, and the rejection of artistic and social traditions is characteristic.

For the first time this current arose in the sixtiestwentieth century under the influence of hippies. In this subculture there were many talented people looking for non-traditional approaches, eager to create something new. It was a combination of the most extreme styles that tried to exist and develop outside official culture and show business. We can say that the underground is a direction that rejects the principles of officially existing art, a protest against generally accepted bourgeois values, where art obeys the market.

What is the underground in Russia

If we apply this term to Russian culture, thenin the Soviet period - a protest against the state administration of art, a direction in culture that rejects the current state system. In the literature, this current arose in the seventies and continued the principles of samizdat, with the difference that the authors tried to shock the public, using profanity, appeal to the topic of sexual deviations.

The names of writers representing the Russian underground are known even to people who did not read their works - Venedikt Erofeev, Lyudmila Petrushevskaya, Tatiana Tolstaya, and others.

Applied to Russian music, underground -these are underground "home" concerts, rebellious texts expressing social protest. What is the underground in music at the moment? Heavy metal and rap are too commercialized, rather it is the style in which there is more unpredictability and freedom. In the West, perhaps, Jim Morris - the most legendary and outstanding representative of the underground style. The Doors music made her the most famous and most controversial group of her time. In Russia, the most prominent representatives of the underground movement in the fatal eighties and nineties were the groups Nautilus Pompilius, Kino, DDT, Aquarium, Resurrection, Alisa, Sounds of Mu, Aria, and others. Since these rock bands were brewing in their own juice, that is, they existed on their own, they formed their unique style, in demand to this day. Their common feature was a pronounced social protest and texts bearing the main burden. Musically, the underground had a huge influence on the development of rock music in the world.

What is the underground in contemporary art?

There is a dispute about the fact that if somesubcultural current receives promotion and commercial support, it loses the right to be called an underground. Probably, nowadays the underground exists only at the very beginning of the emergence of some style or trend in art. Everything new is often perceived by the public at first is bad, then raises delight and brings commercial success, and this can no longer be called an underground. Now they use the term "alternative", it is more extensible.