Symbolism and the aesthetics of the decor of the Altai national costume

The national dress is a universe model as well as unity of aesthetic taste and people's ideals. Animistic perception of nature dating back to the ancient times formed the people's aesthetic idea of beauty and reflected in the culture. Therefore, the Altaian national dress can be treated as the specific artistic image that reflects aesthetic properties of nature and possesses certain aesthetic characteristics. The mode of the Altaian national dress was formed under the influence of aesthetic sources that are revealed through the following clothing details: cut, silhouette, decoration, colour scheme, quality of execution and design. Colour plays a leading role in the decoration of the national dress. Decoration and colour initially functioned as the averters. "Averting" clothes were perceived in the universal categories of top and bottom. It reflected in the decoration of the national dress as well as in the language of the folklore. The decoration and the colour scheme of the national dress are viewed symbolically and aesthetically within this framework. The interconnection between aesthetic and symbolic sources of the Altaian national dress decoration is reflected in the Altaian heroic legendry: "Alyp-Manash", "Maadai-Kara", "Ochi-Bala". With the reference to the Altaian folklore and ethnographic literature we may point out that the most popular ways of decorating the national dress were the following ones: embroidery, applique, leather embossing, dyeing, and tassel, ribbon and garment accessories trimmings. We would like to lay emphasis on the fact that ornament was one of the main ways of the national dress decoration. Aesthetic value of the Altaian ornament is known to be firmly connected with the thing it decorates. In the national dress ornament is delicately combined with the cut and design of clothes, shoes, hattery, accessories, matching the colour and texture. Finally the following conclusions can be drawn: 1) the use of decorating elements in the Altaian national dress has the symbolic and aesthetic basis; 2) perception and choice of a decorating element and colour scheme in the national dress reveal certain aesthetic taste and ideals of the Altaian people; 3) aesthetic treatment of a decorating element and colour scheme is closely connected with interaction between a human being and environment; 4) the use of the system of archetypes and symbols form peculiarities of perception of the national dress decoration in terms of ethnic semantics (the motives of the sun, sky, fir and etc.)

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