The 20th century is marked by colossal progress not only in science and technology, but also in art. Since the first half of 20th century there has been a gap observed between traditional and modern art. Modern art includes a variety of forums, biennale, museums of contemporary art, art space, etc. To date, performance is called all sorts of shows taking part in front of viewers. This can include the newfangled music shows, and various installations in museums, DJs sets in clubs and music festivals. Today, this art does not lag behind the rapidly developing communication industry, and at the same time resists the impact of technologies that help to distance people from each other. Performance, in spite of insufficient knowledge, is a popular type of contemporary art. Thus, the performance is introduced into the modern society, leaving behind itself food for reflection. The paper is of interest to researchers of contemporary art and the evolution of cultural phenomena in the 20th century. The work is based on a combination of historical methods, including historical-genetic and historical-comparative.

The article examines the influence of oriental civilization on the formation of a new European culture at the example of S. Eisenstein’s work. Eisenstein’s interpretation of Far Eastern aesthetics as well as the use of the principles of hieroglyphics in the development of a now common author's method of film editing are being analysed here. Such a dialogical relationship of the Far Eastern culture with the Russian (European) one is an example of how human perception of the East by a westernised person becomes a fertile ground for creativity and formation of a new image of culture. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n3s2p195