Arts and literature of Urcea
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The arts and literature of Urcea are reflective of key social characteristics of the people of Urcea and the history of its cultural development, being primarily inclusive of greater Latinic traditions while incorporating some elements of Gaelic culture. Throughout its history, the written and visual arts of Urcea have been profoundly impacted by the role of the Catholic Church in Urcean society, with a preponderance of its great works containing or alluding to religious themes. Ómestaderoi living and concepts of the frontier - both the Urcean frontier and the historic discovery and expansion of the Latin Heroic Age, and similarities between these eras - also feature prominent throughout literature, artwork, and in some cases architecture. The history of Urcea and its role in Levantia are also common themes.
Art
The history of Urcean visual art is part of Levantine painting history. Levantine art was influenced by earlier Adonerii civilization and can in part be taken as a descendant thereof. However, Levantine painting does have important unique characteristics. Such painting can be grouped into 4 main "styles" or periods, and may contain the first examples of trompe-l'œil, pseudo-perspective, and pure landscape.
Panel painting became more common during the Levanesque period, under the heavy influence of Istroyan icons. Towards the middle of the 13th century, Medieval art and Gothic painting became more realistic, with the beginnings of interest in the depiction of volume and perspective in Urcea. From then on, the treatment of composition by the best painters also became much more free and innovative. Despite later adaptation of theme and subject, realistic painting has remained a popular form of painted art since the medieval period. Urcean art is centered around technical and realistic execution, retaining form while the content and how it is depicted has become more diverse.
Baroque
Initially serving imperial, private, civic, and religious patronage, Urcean painting later found audiences in the aristocracy and the middle class. From the Middle Ages through the Renaissance painters worked for the church and a wealthy aristocracy. Beginning with the Baroque era, artists received private commissions from a more educated and prosperous middle class. These changes occurred in the contest of the Catholic victory following the Great Confessional War and rejuvenation of Catholic art and architecture as the aesthetic component of the Counter Reformation. Accordingly, the demand for art across most of Urcean society was greatly enhanced during this period, leading to additional developments over time.
Romanticism
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Art in Urcea continued to develop out of purely theological and patronage-based systems. The idea of "art for art's sake" began to find expression in the work of the Romantic painters, the most famous of which was Thomas Comhale, whose paintings of Ionian Plateau and scenes in the eastern Urcean valley were embraced as a "uniquely Urcean artistic school" during the period of the Recess of the Julii and Aedanicad. During this period, ideas about subject in art began to diverge, with historical events and people giving way to a more freeform selection of abstract locations and objects painted in the Romantic style. As was the case elsewhere, Urcean Romanticism was characterized by its emphasis on emotion, idealization of nature, suspicion of science and industrialization, and glorification of the past with a strong preference for the medieval rather than the classical. Accordingly, art was used to depict these things in a positive and virtuous light, and in many cases idyllic landscapes were depicted almost as an unattainable dream while still grounding them in the idea of Urcea "as it was".
The Romantic art style remained popular in Urcea long after it had been supplanted elsewhere and it was valued as the "art of the common people and their inheritance in the land of Urcea", as Aedanicus VIII put it in 1863. Urcean Romanticism heavily featured both landscapes and historical scenes in addition to Biblical and pseudo-historical scenes, especially in the well known The Course of Empire series of paintings by Comhale which depict the rise and fall of a classic Latinic civilization. During the 19th century commercial galleries became established and continued to provide patronage in the 20th century.
Frontier romanticism
As the Urcean frontier became gradually settled in the 19th century, many of the Romantic period's landscape portraits also depicted scenes of the Urcean frontier, extolling the virtues of Ómestaderoi living as part of a greater popularity of these themes and locations coinciding with the rise of Urcean frontier literature. Unlike the "valley romantics", frontier romantics tended to subvert the idealization of nature, instead depicting nature as something dangeorus and ultimately apart from man. This perspective, directly inspired by the troubles real Ómestaderoi faced in settling the area, tends to give the frontier romantics more of a grim tone and style, with more restrained use of color and an increased use of darkness within the work. Still, many of both the methods and background conceptions of the artists remained the same as elsewhere in Urcea, making it not purely a distinct style. Frontier romanticism became popular towards the end of the romantic period and was popular both in the frontier and beyond. Scholars have suggested Urcea's general decline towards the end of the Aedanicad and reign of Aedanicus VIII led to frontier romanticism's popularity, as the grim and realistic view of the world replaced the idealized one as political and economic conditions worsened.
Skepticism
In the early 20th century, Romantic and realistic scenes were replaced by artists with the "skeptical" style. This style is defined by semi-surreal scenes with otherwise identifiable objects which includes a hidden criticism of contemporary society that is intentionally not evidently apparent by a plain viewing of the art; common subjects also included easily identifiable historical figures in surreal and anachronistic scenes. The Urcean skeptical style, which flourished between the First Great War and Second Great War was viewed by contemporaries as sophisticated and esoteric, while it was popularly and critically scorned as elitist and complex for its own sake. Due to the period in which it became popular, many of the famous skeptical works are veiled critiques at life in Urcea during the Restoration period, focusing on social ills and the changes coming to the country as a result of a century of modernization.
Neo-Romanticism
Following Urcea's participation and victory in the Second Great War, Romanticism reemerged as a popular art style, with both critical and popular demand for styles of art depicting the natural greatness of Urcea. Unlike the natural, historical, or Biblical themes common among the Romantics, Neo-Romanticism often emphasized patriotic themes and included more depictions of buildings and the nation's natural wonders, though appropriately patriotic historical events were included as well. This style's mass popularity occurred during the 1940s and early to mid 1950s.
Foundationalism
Foundationalism emerged in the late 1950s and 1960s as a form of art popular in high cultural circles as a rejection of both the earlier uncertain skeptical style as well as the exaggerated Neo-Romantic style. Characterized by an insistence on straight lines and right angles, as well as concrete or "solid" subjects the foundationalist style emphasized the immutable characteristics of objects without any particular embellishment, depicting the world as a connected series of "objects whose nature simply is" (in the words of Martin Marze, Foundationalist artist) rather than as a Romantic landscape or chance encounter of individuals. The style is named for The Foundation (1959), which depicted the Mountain of the Blessed Sacrament as a large block from which the rest of Levantia, depicted in jagged manner in only right angles, hangs from, a commentary on the colonial underpinnings of the very Levantine identity based on the spread of settlers from the southwest during the Latin Heroic Age. Rising out of a reaction to Neo-Romanticism, the style frequently included critical interpretations of both history and contemporary Urcean society and social institutions such as the Catholic Church, leading to frequent condemnations from the office of the Censor. The blocky shape and lack of vibrant colors has led to this style being referred to as "brutalism in paint".
Factual surrealism
Factual surrealism is a style of art which depicts surreal abstractions of commonly accepted beliefs and orthodox teachings of the Catholic Church, the preeminent social institution in Urcea. It depicts religious and historical scenes related to scripture or Urcean history, though many of the historical paintings are imbued with historic meaning. The factual surrealist style is intended, though with technical precision, to immerse the viewer in the "sense and glory" of the particular subject. Most artists of this style say they seek to capture the "perfect otherness" of the divine in their work.
This style emerged in the late 20th century, developing out of a revival of the skeptical style of depiction but replacing the esoteric and secret meaning with more traditional themes and readily apparent meanings. One of the most famous contemporary Urcean artists, Téodóir Ludovictor, described the style as "the appearance of the Skeptical with the soul of the Baroque". Factual surrealism is conceived by many art critics as a summation of Urcean art throughout history, blending the topics of the Baroque period, the color, lighting, and technical execution of the Romantic period, and the uncertain form of the skeptical period.
Architecture
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Urcea has a long history of distinct architectural styles and innovation within architecture. The first of the "great" Urcean architectural styles were established just after the end of the Great Confessional War at the height of the Counter Reformation: the Rococo style of architecture, best expressed perahaps in both Electorsbourg and the Hermitage. The long period of Rococo ubiquity ended in the first decades of the 18th century, and its opulance was replaced by the more restrained Palladian style, pioneered by the Lesser Carriagehouse, a lodging on the grounds of Electorsbourg constructed in 1685. Developing from Palladianism is among the most popular and commonly used kind of architecture in Urcea, the so-called Caroline architecture and associated pseudo-Caroline and neo-Caroline designs, which used brick and significant symmetry in its design. This style emphasized a type of humility and virtue in foregoing particular arthictectural and material excess in favor of sacrifice for both God and the nation, as was typical of the national awakening undergone in Urcea in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many great structures from this period are still extant alongside the Rococo masterpieces due to rapid growth during the early industrial revolution in the mid-18th century. An offshoot of Neoclassical architecture, Caroline architecture typically uses plain surfaces with attenuated detail, usually isolated in panels, tablets, and friezes. It also had a flatter, smoother façade and rarely used pilasters. It was most influenced by the interpretation of the ancient architecture of Great Levantia, which was growing in popularity in the mid-18th century due to increasing interest in archaeology. Many of Urcea's great architecutral achievements were inspired by or are those of Great Levantia, such as the construction of arches, domes and similar structures. The subdued Caroline style was replaced during the Aedanicad with Gothic Revival and as well as a renewal of Rococo architecture, which was intended to show the new grandeur and strength of the nation by calling back to earlier architectural glories. While these styles were used during the Aedanicad for most administrative and ecclesiastical structures, the Concilium Daoni instead began to build in a neoclassical style, emphasizing the connection between that institution and the deliberative assemblies of Great Levantia; this connection can be best seen in the legislative chamber of the Daoni at the Julian Palace.
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Rococo artchitecture in Urcea is perhaps best exemplified by Electorsbourg.
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Following the excesses of Rococo, more subtle Palladian styles became common in public and civic use, such as seen here in the interior of Cálfeld's Cathedral Basilica of St. Anne.
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Electorsbourg's Lesser Carriagehouse (1685) was extremely influential on the development of Palladian style.
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Palladianism evolved into the even further restrained style of Caroline architecture, as exemplified by Melisbal Guild Hall, emphasizing virtue and humility.
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Urcea's newfound cultural and political heights led to the adoption of Gothic Revival styles, as seen at Urceopolis's Praetorium after its 1863 renovation, replaced the more subdued Caroline style.
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The triumphant neoclassical style of the Concilium Daoni chamber, completed in 1870, presents that body's connection with earlier Great Levantine deliberative bodies.
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Literature
Urcean literature refers to the literature of Urcea as well as older literature written in the Lebhan language. It may also refer to literature written by Urceans or Urcean emigres elsewhere, especially in Levantia. Urcean literature is considered to have begun in the 12th century when, in different regions of the Kingdom, the slowly standardizing Lebhan language started to be used in a literary manner. Urcean literature continued on past the adoption of Julian Ænglish as the national language.
The earliest literature which can be considered Urcean dates back to the centuries following the fall of Great Levantia. During this time, many iterative works of the Great Levantine period - especially Lebhan language treatments of stories of the Latin Heroic Age - were popular, as well as theological treatises dealing with the fall of Great Levantia. Much of Urcean literature through about 1700 focused on the nature of the divine and its relation to human life, and consequently some of the greatest works of Christian devotional literature, including The Imitation of Christ and Dark Night of the Soul were written in Urcea. This focus on devotional literature set the foundation for later works in the Romantic period and specifically during the Aedanicad, which is considered to be the golden age of Urcean literature. This period saw the increasing interest in establishing a uniquely Urcean literature style as opposed to the general cultural history and mores of the Holy Levantine Empire, from which Urcea found itself increasingly estranged from during the Recess of the Julii. With the desire to produce uniquely Urcean literature and culture, a number of key new literary figures emerged, including novelists such as Téodóir Dostovenus, who wrote extensively about human nature and the duality of man, especially in works such as The Brothers Kerkinius.
Medieval literature
Medieval Urcean literature - its first period of being truly distinct from ancient Levantine and neighboring Imperial literature - began in the 9th century with the rise of Lebhan as a literary language. The earliest works were largely iterative, drawing from classical Latin, and included stories of the Latin Heroic Age, though some new works emerged as many Lebhan language traditions and stories were written down for the first time. The focus on religious themes continued throughout the medieval period, with devotional literature such as The Imitation of Christ (ca 1420s) being among the most notable works of the time.
In the 14th and 15th centuries, Urcean literature saw the rise of new genres, including the chivalric romance and the advent of the first Urcean novels. These works often dealt with themes of love, courtly life, and the conflict between good and evil. In the late medieval period up through the beginning of The Anarchy, various crises had a profound impact on Urcean literature. Many works of the time deal with themes of death, loss, and the consequences of the Saint's War. One of the most notable examples is "The Wordweaver" (1459) by Sean Bonacad, which tells the story of a group of people who flee the city to escape a siege and spend their time telling each other stories.
Renaissance literature
Recess literature
Frontier literature
During the 19th century, an influential genre known as "Frontier literature" developed out of the experience of Ómestaderoi novelists, depicting stories both from lived experience as well as the imagined historical experience of life on the Urcean frontier. The foreground of plots in this genre explored human nature when isolated from the comforts of well-built societies and explored both the depths to which man can go as well as the furthest extents of deprivation that man can survive. In the background of these plots, the genre in many cases followed an often-copied procedural style of storytelling following the trail of the Via Antonina, whose route and locations were well known to most contemporary Urceans. While many stories include the typical hallmarks of the journey, some authors would imbue additional meaning to the various locations along the way, drawing parallels to the Stations of the Cross. Some authors would subvert the route entirely, taking their characters to locations out of order or even in reverse as a way of imparting significance to certain events to the reader.
The 1878 novel "Across the Plains" by Tiberius Kincaid is considered the originating type of this novel, and it tells the story of a group of settlers making their way south along the Via Antonina during the early height of settlement. The novel explores the challenges they face on the journey, including conflicts with native populations and the harsh realities of life on the frontier. It would define many of the tropes and conventions used for the genre. A late entry to this genre that is well known is "The Long Way Home" (1905) by Cordelia Bede, which follows a woman on her journey along the Via Antonina after being displaced from her home during the '97 Rising. Along the way, she faces various challenges and meets a diverse cast of characters who help her come to terms with the loss of her former life.
The Great Novel
During the Recess of the Julii period, the concept of the Great Novel was coined by scholars and critics. The Great Novel is a canonical novel that is thought to embody the essence of Urcea, generally written by a Urcean and dealing in some way with the question of Urcea's national character. While the concept originated as a method of categorization, during the mid-19th century a preponderance of great works of Urcean literature were written, many of them attempting to become the quintessential Great Novel which truly explored the depths of Urcean identity and its relationship to the world through fiction.
Restoration literature
War literature
Post-war literature
Contemporary literature
Beginning with the turn of the milennium, nonlinear narrative became an extremely popular format within Urcean literary trends. The format was not necessarily developed in Urcea and was not a new concept, but it became trendy in academic writing circles and in short story collections. The form became extremely popular and well known to the public with the publication of the first of the Final Great War series by Mychal Geronato in 2007. While his nonlinear narrative is the best known characteristic of his work, Geronato's books include several different characters serving as first-person narrators, all of whom are unreliable narrator to some degree. Some scholars have coined the term "Geronatic literature" to refer to his particular style, which has become widely used by many different authors across all genres of Urcean fiction in the 21st century. Geronatic literature is intended to convey a series of events of a fictional world, but also asks the reader to parse through different points of view to determine their own conclusion of which version of the story is true. Literature scholars have noted Geronatic literature exercises "anti-canon", allowing readers and groups of readers to form their own collective opinion about the final conclusion of narrative events.
Regional & Vernacular literatures
Caenish literature
Gassavelian literature
Highlands literature
Literature styles native to and popular in the Ionian Plateau often originated as oral stories among the people living there. In Highlands literature, iterative versions of traditional stories are popular, with characters and similar plot beats appearing in a wide array of novels, often ending in different and unexpected ways. As is the case with many mythological or folk figures, "canonical" versions of these characters and stories rarely exist, even if they deal with real historical figures. Common themes in Highland literature deal with the region's fierce sense of independence and are primarily set in the past. A well-used trope within Highlands literature deals with a character coming from outside of the Plateau to dominate it, only to receive their comuppance from an unexpected place, usually children or women living on the Plateau. One common subject House de Weluta, Urcea's ruling dynasty, and emphasize the Plateau's political loyalty to the House while ascribing to them mythical and often comically absurd origins. Many traditional stories explore the relationships and conflicts between the Ionians and other groups in Urcea. A less common variant of the genre, but especially prevalent during the late 19th century, feature themes related to the land and the natural environment. of the Plateau.
Theater
Theater in Urcea is based in the Occidental tradition and did not take on a unique dramatic identity until the 17th century, coinciding with the rise of Urcean theater music. Its history prior to the 17th century is somewhat obscured in the historical record, though most histories have included theater as a "minor" form of entertainment; much of theater in Urcea until that time was largely similar to trends throughout the rest of the Holy Levantine Empire. When it was focused on, pre-17th century Urcean theater is typically presented as having represented many of the classics of antiquity, though considerable scholarly evidence in the 2020s suggested that the classic theatrical presentations of Great Levantia survived in greatly modified and adapted forms. Consequently, many early Urcean theatrical productions depicting events of the Great Interregnum and other events are now considered to be ahistorical, adapting earlier stories by placing them within the context of later historical events.
Plays
Spoken word plays are considered the primary form of theater entertainment in Urcea, both historically and presently. The emphasis on spoken word theater is a cultural tradition which originates as far back as Great Levantia. In Great Levantine society, plays were performed at religious festivals and other major events, and were often based on stories from mythology or history. This tradition continued on from its fall, and historians record that a play regarding the history of Great Levantia and its restoration was performed for Emperor Conchobar I upon his entrance to Urceopolis and coronation as first Levantine Emperor in the 750s. Although the historical record is relatively bare, it's clear that this form of entertainment retained enduring and widespread popularity, although how accessible theater was appears to be largely dependent on the wealth and prosperity of Urcea during its history. The oldest still standing theaters built, not withstanding ancient Levantine amphitheaters, date from the 1400s; it appears times of political instability and war made it difficult to build theaters, maintain troupes, and have an audience able to pay for entertainment. The stability of Urcea following the end of the Saint's War allowed for this, and many of the earliest plays still on record appear during this time.
The golden age of Urcean plays occurred during the 19th century Aedanicad. Two of the best known Urcean "contemporary" (as opposed to having originated in antiquity) plays originated during this time. Perhaps the best known, "The Heart of a King," is a historical drama about the life of King Adrian I (ruled 1275-1312), who rose to power during the Saint's War by the unconventional decision of his predecessor to name him as successor despite being from rival dynasties. The play explores the king's personal struggles and triumphs, as well as the challenges he faced in leading the country through a difficult period. It was written by Franciscus Laurentius, a prominent Urcean playwright who was known for his historical dramas. Laurentius was born in the city of Urceopolis in 1789 and studied literature and theater at the Collegium Scientificum. He began his career as an apprentice playwright in his early 20s and quickly gained recognition for his work, which often explored themes of political intrigue, passion, and betrayal. In addition to "The Heart of a King," Laurentius wrote several other well-known plays, including "The Prince's Revenge" and "The Lady of the Lake."
The other major contemporary play, "The Widow's Son," is a tragic love story set in Urcea's Ionian Plateau. Set in the 17th century, the play follows the romance between a young farmer's daughter and a wealthy landowner's son, and the tragic consequences that result when their families forbid their relationship due to differences of social rank. The play explores themes of class, love, and sacrifice, and ends with a heart-wrenching finale that has moved audiences since its first performance. It was written by Kathleen Vendramini, a groundbreaking female playwright who was one of the first women to make a name for herself in what was the male-dominated world of Urcean theater. Vendramini was born in a small town in modern Goldvale in 1814 and grew up surrounded by the stories and legends of her rural community. She began writing plays in her early 20s and drew inspiration from the folktales and legends she had heard as a child. Her plays often explored themes of love, loss, and the struggle for justice, and she was known for her strong, independent female characters. In addition to "The Widow's Son," Vendramini wrote several other successful plays, including "The Weaver's Daughter" and "The Maiden and the Unicorn."
Musicals
Musical theater as the genre is presently understood was not historically present in Urcea and has limited popularity in contemporary culture. Unlike Ancient Istroyan theater, ancient Great Levantine theater was primarily spoken word and did not include musical songs as part of the character performances. Music did likely appear in these ancient productions but only as a way to create mood and setting for the audience. While Urcea did develop a very strong musical tradition, historians believe that medieval and renaissance era performers and their patrons had a different conception of "the arts", and generally regarded music as totally separate from staged theatrical performance. During the 17th and 18th centuries, plays would be influenced by opera and occasionally feature a song sung by a main character, but these performances were not understood to be in the "sung voice" of characters and instead were presented as a character singing within a plot. The "lead song" of this era would often be a method for an actor to display their vocal range, and would almost always be popular songs of the day rather than anything directly related to the plot. Hybridization of plays and opera form were attempted but did not achieve widespread popularity. In contemporary society, musicals are considered to be the first step of a performer in finding their speciality and are usually performed by school aged children; musicals are thought to give performers the ability to determine if they have operatic capability while also giving them the ability to train on vernacular language plots used in plays.
Ballet
Ballet is popular among limited high society circles, especially The Dispossessed, in and around Urceopolis. The form is not native to Urcea. It was introduced to the country in 1852 by a group of traveling dancers from Burgundie. These dancers were well-trained in the classical ballet tradition and were invited to perform in Urcea's major cities, where they attracted the attention of the country's social and political elite, eventually including a performance to King Aedanicus VIII in October 1852. As interest in ballet grew, some of these dancers decided to stay in Urcea and began teaching the art form to local students. Over time, ballet academies were established in the major cities and the art form became more widespread, although it remains primarily popular among the upper classes. Ballet is primarily informed in the large cities of the Valley and in the city of Cana but is mostly unknown in the peripheral parts of the country.
Opera
Urcea's operatic roots date back to the the high medieval period, when operatic-like performances were performed by traveling troupes who would visit cities and towns across the Holy Levantine Empire, performing in local venues such as town squares and churches. Unlike the traveling bards of the day, these groups would often perform in the Ecclesiastical Latin of the Catholic Church, setting them apart by their avoidance of the vernacular. Opera as a formal theater style was first performed in the Duchy of Verecundia in 1597. As cities grew and the wealth of the Empire increased in the recovery period of the devastation of the Great Confessional War, dedicated opera houses began to be constructed in major cities. Urceopolis's first opera house, the Palace of Sound, was built in the mid 17th century.
Over time, opera in Urcea developed its own distinct character and became known for its grand, ornate productions featuring large casts and opulent costumes and sets. The country's strong Catholic heritage also influenced the development of opera in Urcea, with many operas featuring religious themes and subject matter. One of the most famous opera composers from Urcea is Josph Bestenach, who composed over 30 operas during his lifetime. His most famous work, "The Saint's Triumph", premiered in 1698 and remains one of the most performed operas in the country to this day.
Today, opera remains an important part of Urcean culture, with many cities and towns across the country boasting their own opera houses and regular performances. The Aedanhouse in Urceopolis is considered one of the finest opera houses in the world, and regularly features productions by both local and international opera companies.