Distinctions of art historical, philosophical and political science “neorealism”

The relevant problem of the development of realist and neorealist aesthetics in art remains a great variety of used terms and concepts, often describing different phenomena and currents. One of such contradictory terms is “neorealism”, which has emerged in art history, philosophy, and political science. However, the definitions of “neorealism” in different spheres of scientific knowledge are different and describe phenomena that are not closely related. A clear understanding of the difference in the latest and previously used terminology can have a fruitful influence on the further study of realist and neorealist art. The aim of this study is to identify the common characteristics of “neorealism” in art history, philosophy and political science. In the field of art history the differentiation of “neorealism” is pinpointed in literature, the second name of which is “synthetism”, and it is also designated in painting as well as cinema, which manifested themselves first of all in the Italian art of the mid-twentieth century. “Synthetism” emerged in the works of such authors as F.K Sologub, Z.N Gippius, A.A Blok, A Bely, M Gorky, A.N Tolstoy. They are characterised by the borrowing of modernist approaches in the creation of natural reality. The synthesis of realism and symbolism allowed the authors to find new ways of illustrating reality. “Neorealism” in Italy refers to the artists such as R Guttuso, G Mucchi, A. Pizzinato, C Levi, R Vespignani, G Dzigaina. In the works of these authors, images of post-war Italy often appear, the theme of the “little man” is mentioned, and there is also an inspiration from Expressionism and Cubism, the expressive means of which allowed the neorealists to emphasise more vividly the emotional feelings of the characters and their subjective perception of the harsh reality. Among the film directors of “Italian Neorealism” stand out: R Rossellini, L Visconti, V d Sica, G d Santis. They are characterised by a desire for documentary in the choice of characters, stories and locations. Neorealist directors moved away from the poetication of cinematic reality and were able to interest the audience by showing believable stories about the harsh reality of Italian citizens. “Syntheticism” and “neorealism” share a number of similarities, such as the theme of the “little man” or the image of harsh reality, but describe different phenomena in art, primarily because of time and historical events. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

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