The shadow is a romantic-mysterious image that has a sacramental character, akin to a mirror. In some languages, the words "shadow" and "soul" are identical, because in many myths, the image of the shadow is the second "I", like the Egyptian spirit-double "ka". The images of the Eastern shadow theater play the role of visual support for the narrative; this principle of perception was the basis of the ancient Eastern wall pictures Egypt and Mesopotamia. Looking at the images, the viewer “listened” to the reading of the sacred text or remembered well known history, - this was to some extent the prototype of the shadow theater.

AT archaic form shadow theater shadows on the screen were created by hand gestures.

The legend regarding the origin of the shadow theater is also gloomy and romantic: "The wife of the Chinese emperor died, he missed her greatly, and the subjects came up with the idea of ​​showing the shadow of his wife behind the screen." And so the form was born. visual art, dating back to around 200 BC during the era of Emperor Han-Wu-qi. But it became widespread during the Sun Dynasty.

Shadow theater combines three types of art - music (instrumental or voice accompaniment), literature (stories and scripts), craft (puppet making) or painting (set and puppets themselves) in one.

Then thin translucent silhouettes were cut out of leather, most often donkey. And initially, this theater was called that - "donkey skin puppet theater".

Later, figurines were made from all kinds of materials - thin transparent leather (goat, camel), paper or cardboard, could be both solid and integral, and bending, consisting of separate parts attached to each other. The height of the doll is most often 30 centimeters, but there are also large ones, 70 centimeters.
These figurines are called puppets. The image of puppets itself has also been endowed with a sacramental meaning since ancient times: "Man is a puppet controlled by a deity," he argued. ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. And the other great philosopher- Plato, talking with his students, took a puppet in his hands and explained to his students that people, like puppets, are ruled by the threads of Good and Evil, Virtues and Vices. But you need to obey only one thread - the golden thread of the mind. ("Golden" is the thread that controls the doll's head.) From which we can conclude that this art is even more ancient.

The figurines were controlled using bamboo, wooden or metal sticks.

The silhouette in Chinese shadow theater expresses character. The shape of the eye, head, posture is regulated by tradition and corresponds to the role. One hand of the doll, as a rule, holds a weapon or other characteristic attribute, the other moves. The silhouettes of the Chinese theater were, in contrast to the silhouettes of shadow theaters of European imitators, painted. In the Chinese shadow theater, the technique of demonstrating projections was somewhat different from the technique of European theaters. In the Chinese theater, projections are made on a transparent screen, illuminating leather silhouettes from behind. The viewer sees not only the contour, but also a delicate color. In Chinese shadow theater, the silhouettes projected onto a screen are meant to be looked at, which is why they are so intricate in outline and color. The viewer listens to the story, and at the same time looks at the projection on the screen. The characters illustrate the historical epic scenes of popular novels, legends, musical tales, legends, fairy tales, legends that were interesting and understandable to ordinary Chinese viewers. Shadow puppets were very expensive. Only rich people could afford to have them, and they were kept in rooms that were considered the most sacred place in the home. The set of the court shadow theater included up to 600 shadow figures.

The performances of the shadow theater took place, as a rule, at night from dusk to dawn. In India, a huge screen was placed on bamboo poles in a well-packed clearing. Behind the screen, a coconut shell fire was kindled, on the other side, somewhere under a mango tree, the audience was located. The narrator sat in front of the screen, and the inhabitants of the village, holding their breath, listened to his story about the life of the gods and the exploits of the heroes. folk epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. The performance could go on for many nights in a row. And initially, children were not allowed to attend such performances, but men and women watched themseparately.

The pilgrims carried stories about the theater throughout Asia, and so it turned out in Mongolia. With the Mongol troops of Genghis Khan, they spread to other regions of Asia and Europe.

Shadow theater reached its highest form during the Ottoman Empire in Turkey. Karagöz "black
eye" - the hero of the Turkish shadow theater was the most popular.
The prototype of Karagez was a very real Turkish blacksmith, a fighter and a hooligan. He lived in the middle of the XIV century at the court of Sultan Orhan and worked on the construction of a mosque. He was very fond of chatting with his friend Khajivat, a bricklayer. They told each other jokes one after another, so the work went very slowly. The Sultan found out about this and decided to execute both. Not for jokes, but for bad job. And he executed, and then repented, but it was too late. Then, in order to console the Sultan, one of his entourage cut out shadow figures Karagez and Khajivat and showed a performance in which the friends again, as if alive, played out their jokes. They say that this calmed the Sultan, and since then performances with the participation of Karagez have been played throughout Turkey. Plays with him were played by one person, who was called karagezdzhi, he controlled shadow figurines and voiced in turn all the characters, while changing the voice.

In the Middle Ages in Spain, the 3rd form of the tetra of shadows stood out, when for some time the artists were forbidden to go on stage, but they wanted to go out, they came up with the idea of ​​performing behind a screen. Since then, the use of the shadows of living people to show the performance has become known as the Spanish shadows.

In Russia in 1733, the mention of the theater of shadows was in the newspaper "Sankt-Peterburgskiye Vedomosti": "Other imitations of disgraceful games are made only by a shadow, which is cast on paper smeared with oil in a dark chamber. And although the figures shown in this way do not say anything, however "Well, from signs and other indications, it is known what they signify. This shadow depicts many wondrous types and their applications, which in other disgraceful games can not be done so well." The only big one in Russia now State Theater shadows was organized in 1937 at the Museum of Children's Books and it opened with the premiere of a performance based on the novel "Til Ulenspiegel" by Charles de Coster (one of my favorite novels). It still works today. But his repertoire includes not only shadow performances, but also ordinary puppet performances.

"Chinese shadows" were common in Europe in the XVIII and XIX centuries. In 1767, before the Great French Revolution, from China itself, the shadow theater technique was brought home by the French missionary Jules Alod. And here shadow theater so loved and shown a lot that he began to be called "French shadows." And he enjoyed the greatest fame in the theater of shadows of Dominic Serafen in Versailles.

The stories of the Serafina theater commented on the present, brought out heroes whose types were recognizable. The projected silhouettes supported in this theater not epic narratives or even fairy tales, but a kind of anecdotes. In 1790, during a fierce struggle between different factions within " Constituent Assembly"for the constitution, Serafin gave the play "National Federation" on the topic of the day; in 1793, after the execution of Louis XVI, - the play "An Apple for the Most Beautiful, or the Overthrow of the Throne." The interest of educated Europeans in shadow theater with its specific form storytelling, based on concise visual images, was integral part"salon" interest in folklore. The unpretentious show of Serafina for 2 years became boring to the courtiers, and the theater moved to Paris. The Serafina Theater existed until 1859, when its heirs replaced the shadows with voluminous puppets.

Except Serafina, the most famous theater expert of shadows recent years Republic was the Belgian Etienne Gaspard Robert. Robert's show was called "phantasmagoria", which means "collection of ghosts". It opened in 1797, two years before Napoleon Bonaparte declared himself dictator and the end of the Republic declared during the first years of the Revolution. Life in Paris gradually became more calm and well-fed. Mass arrests and executions stopped, the war moved away from the borders of France, the city reopened secular salons. Robert's performance took place in the ruins of a Capuchin convent near Place Vendôme. During the presentation, the author "revealed" to the public with the help of an improved " magic lantern""Shadows of the dear dead": Marat, Robespierre, Danton, Louis XVI and Lavoisier, as well as mythological characters: Hebe, Minerva, Medusa Gargona. Not last place the show was occupied by Death with a scythe, the Wandering Monk, a character in the popular "Gothic novel" by M. G. Lewis, and other "macabre" characters. Shadows made an indelible impression on the public. "Women fainted, brave men closed their eyes." During the five years of the show's existence, "the whole of Paris" has been in the walls of the monastery.

In the representations of Robertson, as he began to call himself, visual images play more
independent role than in Chinese shadow theatre. Most of the magic lanterns that were used for the display were quite powerful, and were placed on platforms with wheels that allowed them to be moved quickly and silently along special rails towards or away from the screen. The swift and noiseless movement of the lantern created the feeling that the image was approaching the audience, flying towards the audience, approaching them “from the depths of space”. As the flashlight approached the screen, the focal length changed. For the instantaneous disappearance of the image, a device called the "cat's eye" was used - a plug with a triangular hole that closed the light source and instantly plunged the audience back into darkness. The next fundamental decision for Phantasmagoria was a translucent screen that let through color image and light through the fabric, like in Chinese shadow play. In the Chinese theater, the light comes through the silhouette puppets and through the screen. In Phantasmagoria, the silhouettes depicted on a glass slide were surrounded by a black reflective background, they were perceived as completely autonomous, independently moving objects. Dive on the ladies the bats were projected by small lanterns held in their hands. About 10 lanterns could be involved in the show at the same time. Flowing shadows were obtained by projecting onto smoke. The calling of "ghosts" was accompanied by sound effects, which were widely used in the theater of that time.

Robertson's desire for gloomy productions was explained by the very legend (Chinese) about the emergence of shadow theater. Here, the images of the theater symbolized important topics for the public: those who died in the early years of the Revolution politicians or characters from favorite gothic novels. The "terrible" images created by Robertson turned out to be so successful that they survived the show for a long time. During the Napoleonic Wars, the secret police used this technique to frighten deserters as they tried to escape from active units. They projected the head of Medusa and the Wandering Monk onto the trees of the forest at night to frighten officers who were trying to leave the unit without permission.

Images of "phantasmagoria" set the iconography of "macabre" pictures for the "home" magic lantern. For this reason, Robertson is considered the founder of one of the main genres of modern entertainment cinema - i.e. horror films.

Since 1885, there was another show in Paris "which made all Paris come together." The revival of interest in the Chinese "shadow theater" was influenced by the art nouveau aesthetics. The artist Henri Riviere once sat in a cafe, listened to the singer's performance, then began to cut little men out of napkins and cardboard and show illustrations for the songs. Everyone liked it so much that Henri Riviere created own theater shadows.

And so, on the Rue Victor-Masse not far from Montmartre, the Cha Noir (Black Cat) cabaret was opened, which was visited by many artists and writers, among whom were Emile Zola and Edgar Degas. Cabaret in those years had a slightly different reputation than today. It was an alternative to official secular culture. In 1887, the coupletist Jules Joux had the idea to illustrate his song on the topic of the day with a demonstration of shadows. The song was dedicated to the scandal in the government due to the distribution of orders. The number was a huge success. This led the administration to think about full transition cabaret for a demonstration of shadows.

Famous people worked there french artists Karan de Ash, Henri Somme and others. "The Black Cat" became big theater: 10-15 people participated in the performances. Sha Noir performances were intended for a more sophisticated audience. They showed the "Epic" dedicated to Napoleon, "The Temptation of St. Anthony", "The Womb of Paris" (genre scenes), "Sphinx", "Campaign to the Sun" (about the Anglo-Burr War). Henri Riviere paid great attention to lighting effects: special colored glasses were made for each performance. Heavy zinc shadow figures moved with the help of complex mechanisms. They were carried around the stage on special rails. The performances of the cabaret shadow theater were directed as productions of the "big" theater. On the screen, not individual figures succeeded each other, as in the classical shadow theater, but scenes planned by artists. The theater existed until 1897.

by the most famous theater shadows now are Javanese Wayang Kuli: dolls made of waxed
transparent paper on hinges, painted in various colors. Javanese shadow figures are controlled by puppeteers with the help of canes and are made from buffalo skin. The skin is dressed for a long time into a thin plate (1.5-3 mm) yellow color, i.e. into parchment. Then a master carver works on this plate, turning it into a "wayang" - a shadow puppet. This profession in Java is one of the most respected. Carvers carve silhouettes and cover them with openwork carvings. Then the painters paint them using only five colors: white, yellow, blue, red and black. Then the dolls are assembled: arms, legs and heads are attached to them. And finally, control sticks are attached to the doll. Such dolls for one performance need 100-150 pieces.

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Camille Saint-Saens - dance of death (Danse Macabre):

I usually talk about how important it is to use a flash when shooting in the sun to show the details of the subject being photographed, but sometimes it will be more effective, on the contrary, to level out all the details, except for the contours, and present the subject against a bright background - in other words, take a picture silhouette.

Silhouettes- a great way to convey drama, mystery, emotions and mood to the viewer, they always stand apart in the album due to the fact that, with apparent simplicity, they tell us a whole story. I love them because they do not show the viewer a clear picture of everything that is happening, but leave room for fantasy.

The key to shooting silhouettes is positioning your subject (the shape you want to show) in front of some kind of light source and adjusting your camera exposure to the brightest part of your image (the background) rather than the subject. Thus, the subject will be underexposed (very dark, if not black).

There are many technical descriptions on how to get great silhouette shots, which you might want to familiarize yourself with, but let me go through a few basic steps that will get you there. desired result. The key is to make your camera think that the brightest parts of the image are what you are interested in.

Here's how to do it:

1. Choose the right object

Almost every object can be represented as a silhouette, but some are more suitable for this purpose than others. Choose something with a clear and recognizable shape that will look interesting enough to the viewer, even in 2D. Silhouettes cannot be based on the colors, textures, or tones of objects, so the shape must be distinct.

2. Turn off the flash

If you are shooting in auto mode, then your camera may want to use flash, which will ruin the silhouette. In this case, you want as little light on your subject as possible - so flash should be omitted (however, I've seen some experimental shots of silhouettes with flash on).

3. Choose the right lighting

When it comes to lighting your subject, you need to forget most of what you know about normal photography and start thinking the other way around. Instead of lighting the subject from the front, when shooting silhouettes, you need to make sure that most of the light came from the background, not the foreground - or in other words - you need to light the object more from the back than from the front. A sunset or sunrise is ideal for this purpose, against which you can photograph the object, but in fact, almost any bright light source will do.

4. Frame the frame

Frame the frame so that your subject is in front of a pleasant and simple, but at the same time bright background. Usually the best background is a bright, cloudless sky with a setting sun. You need to place the brightest light source behind your subject (so that it is hidden behind it, or somewhere else in the background).

5. Create a clear and concise silhouette shape

If there is more than one shape in the frame that you are going to represent as a silhouette, try to keep the distance between the objects. For example, if you are making silhouettes of a tree and a person, you should not place the person in front of the tree or even ask him to lean on it, because. in this case, the objects will merge into one form, and the viewer will be perplexed what it is.

Also, when composing your shot, you may want to photograph the silhouettes of people in profile rather than looking directly into the frame. In this way, more features (nose, mouth, eyes) will stand out, and the person will be more likely to be recognized.

6. In automatic mode

Most modern digital cameras have an automatic metering system that adjusts the exposure so that everything is well lit. The problem is that most cameras are so smart that they will light up the subject instead of underexposing it to get a silhouette, so you need to outsmart your camera.

Most cameras adjust exposure levels automatically when you press the shutter button halfway (at the same time focusing). So point your camera at the most bright part image and hold the shutter button halfway (and do not release). Then move the camera back to include your subject in the frame, and then press the button all the way down and take the frame. On most digital cameras, this will give you a silhouetted subject.

This way you trick your camera into thinking that the brightest part of the image is the midtones, so anything darker will look like a nice deep shadow in the frame.

Some digital cameras also have spot metering or center metering modes, which can help you with the above technique because the camera will measure exposure from one point rather than multiple points. This means that you can tell the camera exactly which part of the light background you want to expose.

7. Manual mode

If this technique does not work and your camera has the ability manual setting exposure or exposure compensation mode, you could try using your own settings. The beauty of digital is that you can experiment with the frame until you get the result you want.

An easy way to get started in manual mode is to look at the shutter speed and aperture offered by the camera in auto mode and start there. If your subject is too light in auto mode (i.e. you need to make it darker), lower your shutter speed by a stop or two and see what happens. Use the "bracketing" technique I described in my previous Sunrise and Sunrise article to get multiple shots with slightly varying exposure.

8. Focus

In most cases, you will want the silhouette to be clearly in focus. This complicates the process described in point 4, because when you hold the shutter button halfway to measure exposure, the background is in focus at the same time. To get around this point, you can follow two strategies. First, if your camera has manual focus, you can use it. Focus before metering exposure.

The second way is to use the aperture to maximize the depth of field (the fraction of the image that is in focus). Set a small aperture (i.e. a larger f/number) to increase the depth of field - this is how you are most likely to get a sharp background and foreground.

One last tip for silhouettes- A full silhouette, where the entire subject is black and sharp, can be very effective, but it's also worth considering a partial silhouette, in which only a subset of your subject's details are shown in this way. Sometimes one small ray of light makes the object a little more voluminous and “real”. This is the beauty of bracketing - it allows you to choose between general and partial silhouettes.

Try silhouette photography - it's simple and can be artistically beautiful. It is rare to find a photographer who would not try to photograph a person with the sun behind him so that only the silhouette remains.

Done right, silhouettes can be very bright and unforgettable, making your shots stand out.

Here are some tips for beginners on how to photograph silhouettes the right way.

• Illumination of the subject. The easiest way to photograph a silhouette is to use the sun as a backlight. Positioning the subject directly in front of direct sunlight gives a clear and visually strong silhouette.

• Due to the color temperature and the low position of the sun, silhouettes are best at sunrise or sunset.

• background exposure. You need to correctly measure the exposure so that the silhouette is clear and the photo is formed correctly. Point the camera at the brightest part of the composition (but not the sun!) and half-press the shutter button to get the exposure settings that the camera gives. Remember, and then set them manually on the DSLR (in M mode). Ideally, you need to get a high shutter speed (from 1/125 s) for a high-quality silhouette when photographing.

Brigitta Sontagh

• Turn off the flash. This is another reason to use manual settings on your camera, especially if your camera has an auto flash. When using the camera in "auto" mode, it will most likely work automatically, trying to highlight the object and make it brighter. With manual setting, you have the option to keep the flash off, which plays a key role in creating the silhouette.

• Come closer. If you get closer to your subject, you can block out direct light much more easily, and it also gives you more choice angles for shooting, which will allow you to move around and find the best compositional solution.

• Focusing. Install great depth sharpness by manual adjustment. An aperture around f16 ensures that your entire image is in focus. A fuzzy silhouette will not look like artistic image but as an error.

• Think about forms. The silhouette should carry a strong image. Therefore, if you are photographing a person, try to capture him in profile or ask him to spread his arms so that the dark figure does not look like a monolithic block against the backdrop of a beautiful sunset, for example.

• If you are shooting a stationary subject, try to find the best angle that will emphasize the shape and make the dark figure stand out. Keep this in mind. Why do you think trees are so popular? Because their silhouettes look great!

Do not forget the most important thing - enjoy the experiment and expect great results. After all, the photo is worth it!

Based on materials foreign sources prepared by F. Svetogorov

Sometimes very strange things happen in life. So, the most interesting and mysterious can happen within the walls of your own apartment. Mysticism, supernatural and paranormal, all this is able to "settle" in the house of any person. Sometimes an ordinary brownie can act in the form of an evil spirit.

The first type constantly helps a person and does not harm him. If he tries to strangle the household, then, most likely, it is necessary to exercise caution, changes are coming, and sometimes not better character. As for the evil brownie, he is able to mischief always and everywhere.

What to do if otherworldly forces decide to visit? How to get rid of haunting shadows? In fact, there is nothing wrong with this. But leaving the problem unresolved is also not worth it. So, the first thing you need to understand is what is going on. Often a person is haunted by shadows that, in fact, do nothing wrong. But where do they come from and what is their purpose? If you see a shadow in the house, then there is nothing good in it.

The fact is that many shadows and evil spirits appear for a reason. Unsuccessful fortune-telling, cards and other things can disturb a parallel world. A person without even knowing about it can attract negativity to himself, which is very difficult to return back. Therefore, before embarking on the process of divination, especially if we are talking complex manipulations should be carefully considered. In extreme cases, a person can come to the rescue, knowing the essence this case.

Sometimes shadows and evil forces appear in the apartment after the death of someone close. This suggests that the soul cannot calm down. There are times when the “devil” jokes with people in this way. In general, the reasons for the appearance of various mystical phenomena quite a bit of. The unresolved question remains what to do? Seeing a black silhouette in the house does not bode well, so you need to know how to get rid of it. How to overcome all this and is it dangerous for a person? For example, brownies can be both good and bad.

So, if an evil spirit, incomprehensible shadows or silhouettes appeared in the apartment, the first thing you need to do is try to get rid of it yourself. Because if you let everything take its course, the consequences can be terrifying. The first step is to try to consecrate the apartment yourself. This is done with the help of holy water or church candle. So, you need to take a bowl of liquid and, while reading a prayer, begin to bless the corners, while following clockwise. It is advisable to repeat this action three times.

There is another way to do this. In this case, you need to take a church candle. The process is similar to the previous one. The candle is lit and a prayer is read. So, you need to go around all the corners clockwise and make three circles. The silhouettes in the apartment indicate that evil has settled in the house. Therefore, you need to get rid of it immediately.

If none of the above actions help, you need to seek help from a priest. Most likely, we are talking about something more serious. In many cases, a person is not able to cope on his own with this. Because "evil" is different and it appears for a number of reasons. So, in order to never encounter this, it is recommended to swear less at home. It sounds strange, but it is the negativity of a person that can attract mystical creatures in a dwelling. In general, it is not recommended to guess on your own and resort to summoning spirits. All this is fraught with serious consequences.

Getting rid of a brownie is sometimes very difficult and almost impossible on your own. Therefore, if only a shadow or a silhouette is seen that haunts, it is necessary to begin the process of “expelling” evil from the apartment. It is advisable to resort to the help of professionals in this matter.

In conclusion, it is worth saying that seeing houses of silhouettes indicates that an otherworldly force has settled in the dwelling. Therefore, it is urgently necessary to begin measures to “exile” her. Otherwise, things can get out of control.

Modern society, where every day there is some kind of technical discovery, already connected with the exploration of the Cosmos, magic remains an unsolved science. This is really a science that in antiquity...