Three main interpretations of the nationality of art

The article is devoted to the problem of defining nationality in art. Three interpretations are considered. According to the first interpretation formulated by the creators of Russian classical art, nationality is the following in artistic creation of the original national traditions contained primarily in folklore. The author refers here to the thoughts of A. S. Pushkin, V. G. Belinsky, M. I. Glinka, M. M. Prishvin. Representatives of the revolutionary democracy of the 19th century, who considered nationality to be the primary component of art, emphasized that the people who created national culture were primarily the working masses. Based on this, the nationality of art is embodied in a dull and objective representation of the life of the masses. Nationality is also defined as the highest degree of popularity, jokes «go to the people», the most striking phrases of them are quoted in everyday speech, and the characters become the heroes of jokes.