Development Stages of the Modern Jewelry Art in Kazakhstan

In the context of globalization of the mo­dern world and the growth of intercultural interaction, the question of spiritual development of the nation, the issues of formation, establishment, and the main trends in the further evolution of its art become the subject of research by many art historians, who, through the use of their topical articles and speeches, have made conditions for the further improvement of art studies in Kazakhstan. Currently, the Republic of Kazakhstan is on the way of radical changes in its political, economic and cultural system, which became possible with the acquisition of Kazakhstan’s status as a sovereign state. Scientists of Kazakhstan — historians, ethnographers, culturologists, art experts of the 20th—21st centuries — conducted comprehensive studies of the history, culture and art of the Kazakh people. Special attention was paid to description of the traditional types of applied art (felting, weaving, embroidery), as well as the work of master jewelers. While the traditional types of applied art have been widely described and studied by art historians in ethno-cultural aspects, the professional jewelry art of Kazakhstan, the work of modern national masters are still insufficiently investigated, including the issues of archaic and traditional forms interpretation in today’s jewelry art. Contemporary jewelry artists working in the most topical forms keep the Kazakh traditions of jewelry craftsmanship: they use generally accepted techniques of metal processing in their works, creatively interpret traditional forms. The active use of the established techniques by mo­dern masters is complemented by the latest technology. The artistic features of modern jewelry are based on the author’s interpretation of forms and techniques of traditional jewelry art; there is a kind of synthesis: a mixture of traditions of the Kazakh craft, techniques of folk applied art, and current artistic trends.