In order for the production to be successful, it is important not only to choose the right actors. The atmosphere on the stage is also created by the scenery. We can say that the scenery is as old as theatrical art, because even during the first productions, various props were used.
Hard and soft scenery
Decorations are of two types:
- tough.
Rigid structures are conditionally divided into flat and voluminous, but in fact there are much more varieties. The scenery can be played and used by the actors during the performance. For example, various stairs, fences, tables can be used during staging. Unplayed decorations simply serve as a static background and create an atmosphere, an entourage.
Rigid decorations are made mainly from wood and duralumin. For wooden structures, inexpensive but durable softwood is chosen. In some cases, it is appropriate to use light metals in the production of decorations.
Soft decorations are produced from fabrics, they can be smooth, draped, picturesque or contain applications. Velvet, canvas and tulle are the most popular materials on stage. Also today, synthetics and non-woven materials are used for the production of products. They are practical and create the desired effect.
There are many ways to create theatrical scenery, they have been developed over the centuries. Today, nothing fundamentally new is being created in scenography - everything has already been thought out in advance. However, new materials and technologies appear in the art of decoration.
The scenery on the stage, as a rule, is multi-layered. This is not only the background behind the actors, but also all the necessary equipment. The scenery even includes the curtain and backstage.
inventory requirements
Quality decorations meet several important requirements. It is important that they can be easily assembled and disassembled without losing the properties of the materials. There are products that are difficult to make, but ideally, decorations should be easy to manufacture. Then, in the event of a breakdown, the product can be quickly restored.
Decorations need to be stored, and it is desirable that they do not take up too much space. Therefore, among the important qualities of structures are portability and mobility. Also, the decorations should be light and durable. This is not always possible in the production of hard props. However, soft decorations meet these requirements by 100%. To make them even lighter, modern materials were used for decorations.
Decorations have been used on stage for many years. In addition, they can be temporarily placed in a warehouse and even transported to other cities. Therefore, such strict requirements are imposed on products.
If the design is not practical, then its operation will require regular expenses. The scenery will have to be repaired, dismantled, ordered transportation under special conditions. It is possible that such equipment is used in theaters, but in rare cases when there is no alternative.
Practical decorations do not require extra costs and do not lose their properties for many years. In some cases, when manufacturing a product, it is worth overpaying and ordering a structure from more expensive materials if this will extend its service life. However, with the advent of synthetics and non-woven materials, theaters can no longer overpay for the production of scenery.
How the scenery is made
Decorations are created according to a preliminary sketch. Sketches are made by working through each of the scenes in detail. All the details are taken into account. The main scenery in the scenes is the background, after which there are objects for the entourage surrounding the participants in the action. The scenographer begins to work with ready-made sketches, he creates a preliminary layout. A model is not yet a decoration, it is only a model.
By creating a layout, you can determine how accurately the size of the product is determined. In some cases, adjustments have to be made. That is why the scenery is created only after the production of a trial layout. The design is applied by the artist, whose actions are monitored by the director.
After preparing the layout, the product is sent to a specialized workshop where decorations are produced. Here they create the final product - a product that will decorate the stage. The model that is sent for production is usually a smaller copy of the scenery. The masters are faced with the task of reproducing the design in an enlarged size. Soft theatrical scenery is sometimes no easier to create than hard ones - it all depends on the features of the product. Some decorations have many complex elements.
The word "decoration" is most often used to refer to the accessories of the theater, whose purpose is to create the illusion of a place in which the action played out on the stage takes place. Therefore, theatrical scenery is for the most part either landscapes or perspective views of streets, squares and the interior of buildings. They are painted on canvas.
The main components of each theatrical scenery are the curtain and backstage. The first is hung in the depths of the stage, stretching across its entire width, and depicts everything that is in the background in the reproduced landscape or perspective; the wings are pieces of linen, narrower in comparison with the curtain, stretched over a wooden binding and cut out at one end in a proper way; they are placed on the sides of the stage in two, three or several rows, one after the other, and represent closer objects, for example. trees, rocks, houses, pilasters and other parts of the scene. The scenery is supplemented by subarcs - pieces of canvas stretched at the top across the entire stage and depicting pieces of the sky, upper branches of trees, ceiling vaults, etc. e.g. stones, bridges, cliffs, hanging galleries, stairs, etc.
An artist who is engaged in the execution of theatrical scenery and is called a decorator must possess, in addition to the training necessary for a painter in general, some special knowledge: he needs to perfectly know the rules of linear and aerial perspective, master a very wide method of writing, be able to adapt his coloring to fiery lighting, in which stage performances usually take place, and in general to count on the fact that as a result of his work a picturesque setting for the play being played is obtained, not only not harming it with its excessive simplicity or pretentiousness, but contributing to the strength and efficiency of the impression it makes on the viewer.
Having composed a sketch drawing of the scenery, the decorator makes a model for it, that is, a miniature likeness of the stage with a cardboard curtain, backstage and other accessories, so that this model can be used to judge in advance the effect of the future work. After that, proceeding to the execution of the scenery itself, he stretches the canvas of the curtain in a horizontal position on the floor of his workshop, transfers the drawing of the sketch to it in an enlarged form by breaking it into squares, and, finally, starts writing with paints. He does exactly the same when performing backstage and other parts of the scenery. The palette is replaced by a box with cans of various paints diluted with glue; for writing, more or less large brushes made of bristles with long handles are used. During work, he interrupts it every now and then in order to climb the gallery, arranged in the workshop at a certain height from the floor, and look from there at what was written. He usually does not work alone, but together with his students and assistants, to whom he entrusts preparation and secondary parts of the work.
scenery performance sketch dramaturgy
Stage performances were furnished with decorations by the ancient Greeks. As one of the oldest decorators known in history, one can point to Agafarch, who lived approximately in 460-420 years. BC In recent times, decorative painting has developed primarily in Italy, which brought the best masters in this area to other countries.
Of the Italian decorators in the 18th century, Giovanni Servandoni, who worked for the Royal Opera in Paris, became especially famous. Then the championship in the area under consideration passed to the French. Among them, the theatrical painter Boke showed a remarkable talent; the famous Watteau and Boucher did not hesitate to break away from the performance of their paintings in order to write for the stage. Then, among the French decorators, Degotti, Ciceri, the students of the last Sechan, Desplechin, Fescher and Cambon, Chaperon, Thierry, Rube and Cheret enjoyed loud fame. Outstanding decorators in Germany were Schinkel, Karl Gropius, the Italians Quaglio and I. Hoffmann. In Russia, the needs of the imperial theaters were satisfied at the beginning by visiting Italian decorators - Perezinotti, Quarenghi, Canopy, Gonzaga, and then, in the reign of Nicholas I, German artists Andreas Roller, K. Wagner and others; Only in the second half of the 19th century did decorative painting take the path of independence in Russia thanks to such gifted masters as M. I. Bocharov and M. A. Shishkov, and the establishment of a special class at the Academy of Arts for the study of this branch of art.
Theatrical and decorative art (often also called scenography) is a type of fine art associated with the artistic design of a theatrical performance, that is, the creation of a living environment on the theatrical stage in which the characters of a dramatic or musical-dramatic work act, as well as the appearance of themselves these heroes. The main elements of theatrical and decorative art - scenery, lighting, props and props, costumes and make-up of actors - constitute a single artistic whole, expressing the meaning and nature of the stage action, subordinate to the idea of the performance. Theatrical and decorative art is closely connected with the development of the theatre. Stage performances without elements of artistic and visual design are an exception.
The basis of the artistic design of the performance is the scenery depicting the place and time of the action. The specific form of scenery (composition, color scheme, etc.) is determined not only by the content of the action, but also by its external conditions (more or less rapid changes in the scene, the peculiarities of the perception of the scenery from the auditorium, its combination with certain lighting, etc.) "The image embodied on the stage is initially created by the artist in a sketch or layout. The path from sketch to layout and stage design is associated with the search for the greatest expressiveness of the scenery and its artistic completeness. In the work of the best theater artists, the sketch is important not only for the working plan of stage design, but and relatively independent work of art.
Theatrical scenery includes the framing of the stage, a special curtain (or curtains), a pictorial solution of the stage space of the stage, backstage, background, etc. The ways of depicting the living environment on the stage are diverse. In the traditions of Russian realistic art, pictorial solutions prevail. At the same time, written planar elements are usually combined with built ones (volumetric or semi-volumetric) into an integral image that creates the illusion of a single spatial environment of action. But the basis of the scenery can also be figurative and expressive constructions, projections, draperies, screens, etc., as well as a combination of various image methods. The development of stage technique and the expansion of representational methods do not, however, cancel the significance of painting as the basis of theatrical and decorative art in general. The choice of image method in each individual case is determined by the specific content, genre and style of the work embodied on the stage.
The costumes of the actors, created by the artist in unity with the scenery, characterize the social, national, and individual characteristics of the heroes of the performance. They correlate in color with the scenery (“fit” into the overall picture), and in a ballet performance they also have a special “dance” specificity (they must be comfortable and light and emphasize dance movements). Lighting not only achieves clear visibility (visibility, “ readability”) of scenery, but also depicts various seasons and days, illusions of natural phenomena (snow, rain, etc.). Lighting color effects are able to create a feeling of a certain emotional atmosphere of a stage action.
Theatrical and decorative art changes with the development of artistic culture as a whole. It depends on the dominant artistic style, on the type of dramaturgy, on the state of the fine arts, as well as on the arrangement of theater premises and stage, on lighting techniques, and many other concrete historical conditions.
Theatrical and decorative art in Russia reached a high level of development at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, when outstanding artists came to the theater. They brought a great pictorial culture to the design of performances, achieved the artistic integrity of the stage action, the organic participation of fine art in it, the unity of scenery, lighting and costumes with dramaturgy and music. These were artists who first worked at the Mammoth Opera (V. M. Vasnetsov, V. D. Polenov, M. A. Vrubel and others), then at the Moscow Art Theater (V. A. Simov and others), in the imperial musical theaters (K. A. Korovin, A. Ya. Golovin), Diaghilev's "Russian Seasons" (A. N. Benois, L. S. Bakst, N. K. Roerich, etc.).
A powerful stimulus for the development of theatrical and decorative art was given by the creative quest of advanced stage direction (K. S. Stanislavsky, V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, V. E. Meyerhold, choreographers M. M. Fokin and A. A. Gorsky).
Literature
E. Zmoiro. Scenery model for the performance of the Central Children's Theater "Skates" based on the play by S. V. Mikhalkov. 1976.
Decoration
Since ancient times, it has been important decorative painting, constituting a special branch of art, in the history of which its development followed the movement of easel painting, painting paintings. It sometimes includes the same works that this latter delivers, if only they are executed on the walls and plafonds of a building mainly for an ornamental purpose (wall and plafond painting, frescoes); but its main element is ornaments in the strict sense of the word, that is, beautiful combinations of geometric lines and figures, as well as forms of the plant and animal kingdom, fantasized or unchanged (for example, wall painting in the houses of Pompeii, Moorish arabesques of the Alhambra, grotesques of the Raphael lodges in the Vatican and so on.). The motives of decorative painting changed depending on the historical course of culture and art among different peoples, on the taste and architectural style that prevailed at that time. The French came into use in the 19th century with the name decorative arts(fr. l'art decoratif) for various branches of handicraft industries that need the help of art, such as the manufacture of elegant furniture, carpets, lace, glass and pottery, jewelry, bronze, wallpaper and other luxury and comfort items - in a word, for everything that is customary among the Germans call Kleinkünste or Kunstgewerbe and in Russia applied art or art industry.
theatrical scenery
The word "decoration" is most often used to refer to the accessories of the theater, which have as their purpose to create the illusion of a place in which the action played out on the stage takes place. Therefore, theatrical scenery is for the most part either landscapes or perspective views of streets, squares and the interior of buildings. They are painted on canvas. The main components of each theatrical scenery - veil And backstage. The first is hung in the depths of the stage, stretching across its entire width, and depicts everything that is in the background in the reproduced landscape or perspective; the wings are pieces of linen, narrower in comparison with the curtain, stretched over a wooden binding and cut out at one end in a proper way; they are placed on the sides of the stage in two, three or several rows, one after the other, and represent closer objects, for example. trees, rocks, houses, pilasters and other parts of the scene. Decorations are complementary subarcs- pieces of canvas stretched at the top across the entire stage and depicting pieces of the sky, the upper branches of trees, ceiling vaults, etc., as well as praticable- various wooden scaffolds and scaffolds disguised with a painted canvas, placed on the stage and representing, for example, stones, bridges, rock spurs, hanging galleries, stairs, etc.
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Synonyms:See what "Decoration" is in other dictionaries:
decoration- and, well. decoration f. 1. archit. Architectural, sculptural, pictorial, etc. decoration of a building. Sl. 18. The master will also be observed the drawing, or profile, given by the architect, so as not to lose even a small proportion, because in that there is the best building ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
DECORATION, scenery, wives. (French decoration, lit. decoration). 1. A picturesque or architectural depiction of the place and setting of a theatrical action, installed on the stage (theatre). 2. trans., only units. Something ostentatious, outwardly ... ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov
DECORATION, and, wives. A picturesque, three-dimensional or architectural image of the place and atmosphere of the stage action, installed on the stage, film set. | adj. decorative, oh, oh. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949… … Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov
female, lat. decorations, embellishments, furnishings; at the theatre: view, area of performance Decorative, relating to the scenery. Decorator male. an artist who paints scenery, views from afar, decorations, decorations, furnishings. Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary. IN AND. Dal… Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary
In the broad sense of the word, any artistic decoration of an object or room. Hence the verb: decorate to produce artistic decoration, and the adjective decorative, applied in the language of architecture, as opposed to the term ... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron
Showcase. Jarg. business Deliberate increase in the amount of profits in the balance sheet to hide the poor financial condition of the enterprise. BS, 44 ... Big dictionary of Russian sayings
Types of scenographic solutions:
Narrative decoration- reproduces on stage a picture of real life. And with a greater or lesser degree of detail, generalization, conventionality, he tells about the environment surrounding the heroes of the play. The stage space is transformed by the artist into the real space of the place where the performance takes place. (Simov at Stanislavsky).
metaphorical the scenery offers the viewer a generalized image of the entire performance as a whole. Artists seek to reveal the play through a plastic metaphor. The metaphor in the theater carries a specific image and is expressed in the specific language of painting, light, and architecture. (Ryndin made a drum and a wavy line in Optimistic Tragedy).
picturesque scenery. In it, painting acts as the main means of artistic expression. The artist deals with a plane on which he paints different subjects - landscape, interior. On the back of the curtain plane is the idea of the play. (Golovkin - "Masquerade" through the curtains).
Structural installation. Appeared in the 20s, directed against the picturesque. The stage space is seen as a place where you can build a structure intended for the actions of the actor. The design embodied the idea and image of the performance with plasticity and rhythm. The place of action has no independent meaning - it is revealed in interaction with the actors. The actors use their actions to justify conditional constructions of machine tools and ladders. Installation materials: wood, matting, plywood, metal. (Efros performance "Romeo and Juliet", the artist Durgin made an iron lattice - a cage of platforms, stairs. The space is decided vertically).
Architectural and spatial decoration designed to use the entire depth of the scene. The space of the stage is one of the main expressive means of the performance. (The plays of the poets of antiquity and Shakespeare were solved this way).
dynamic decoration based on movement. If for architectural and spatial scenery movement serves to unfold a single installation in front of the viewer, then in dynamic scenery, movement will be the main means containing the image of the performance. (1923 Meyerhold "Give Europe", the artist Shlepyanov made moving walls).
Light decoration. The functions of light are not limited to the task of highlighting one or another detail. Light in the hands of a good artist will become a decisive component that expresses the artistic image of the performance. (Artist Belov, Efremov's performance "Decembrists", 1967)
Projection the scenery is created with the help of equipment: set-top boxes, television equipment, filmoscopes, diascopes. (Film projection in the play "Weather for Tomorrow" by Volchek).
game decoration. Its roots go back centuries. There was no design as a whole, it was created by the objects necessary for the action, brought by the actors themselves and often arising in the order of improvisation. (Meyerhold "The Stranger" used bamboo poles; Zakharov in the play "Til" - 4 wooden benches and a ferris wheel).
off-ramp decoration. This is when the stage is taken out into the auditorium and surrounded by spectators. (Samara Youth Theater, performance "Bumbarash").
A theatrical production is created from a huge number of important elements, among which are not only a play and acting by artists. No less important for the success of the performance and scenery, the main role of which is to create space for the action taking place on the stage. Theatrical scenery is an indispensable attribute of any production, which gives it a special charm.
What role do theatrical scenery play in theatrical and decorative art
Theatrical and decorative art, otherwise called scenography, is one of the specific types of fine art. Its main purpose is to visualize the environment in which the events in the performance take place, and the appearance of the characters. For this purpose, theatrical scenery and costumes of heroes are created. No less important are such design elements as proper lighting and props. All these means are combined into a single whole, conveying the nature of the action and the idea of the whole performance. We can say that the creation of theatrical scenery has the same ancient history as the theater itself. Artistic design very quickly became a constant attribute of theatrical performances, and now we can hardly imagine a performance on an empty stage.
Decoration should create an image of the place and time to which the action in the performance refers. The composition of theatrical scenery, their color scheme and other characteristics depend on many factors. In addition to the content, these include the speed of changing the scene, the features of the perception of objects on the stage from the point of view of the audience, the possibilities and features of lighting, and much more.
Before the stage space is designed, it is necessary to create sketches of theatrical scenery. It is at this stage that all the details of future scenery are worked out in order to achieve the greatest expressiveness and integrity. As for the masters of scenography, their sketches are considered not only as a basis for the design of the stage, but also as an independent work of art, distinguished by the author's style and originality.
theatrical scenery consists of many parts. These are framing elements, and a curtain, and objects on the stage, as well as backstage, background, etc. Theatrical scenery is created in several ways, in particular with the help of images and three-dimensional details. In Russian realism, pictorial elements are predominant. It is very important that planar elements and volumetric objects together create a coherent and vivid picture of the scene. In addition to the main, traditional ways of depicting the environment, new and modern ones are emerging. Among them are projections, screens, draperies and much more. However, modern methods of stage design have not supplanted painting, which is present in one way or another in almost any scenery. The variety of forms of creating reality only allows specialists to choose the most appropriate ones according to the content and style of the performance.
No less important are the costumes, thanks to which the images of the characters are created. The possibilities of the costume are very wide: it can tell about the social affiliation of the hero, his nationality, profession and some character traits. In terms of style and color design, the costumes should have something in common with theatrical scenery. In ballet performances, they are also subject to a practical task, they must be comfortable and suitable for dance movements.
The main types of theatrical scenery
Allocate two kinds scenery for theatrical productions: hard and soft.
hard scenery also divided into a huge number of varieties. First of all, they are voluminous, semi-voluminous and flat. There are also distinguished scenery that is played with, with which the actors interact during the performance (pieces of furniture, stairs, trees, etc.), and not played, which only serve as a background.
Theatrical scenery of this type is made mainly from coniferous wood. This material is characterized by a fairly low price, as well as wide possibilities in terms of processing to create certain items (painting, pasting, etc.). Also, if necessary, metal structures are used. For example, steel and duralumin pipes are widely used. They allow you to create the contours of complex patterns (both planar and volumetric), stairs and decorative machines. In this case, the use of metal is practically the only way to create decorations. Among other things, metal objects are lighter in weight.
soft scenery are divided into picturesque, applique, draped and smooth.
The variety of materials used is very wide: almost all types of fabrics are used. Theatrical scenery is made from canvas, velvet and tulle. Synthetic and non-woven materials are also actively used.
The basic techniques and rules according to which theatrical scenery is created were developed at the dawn of this art. Today, the basis of most hard scenery is still a decorative frame, invented more than a century ago. With its help, a huge number of design elements are created, in particular walls and ceilings. The principles of sewing backs and backstage have also changed little.
There are many ways to create theatrical scenery, and it is not possible to describe each of them. The search for new techniques for stage design does not stop to this day. Although, of course, all innovations are based on the principles and schemes that have been developed and put into practice by the long history of the theater.
What are theatrical scenery depending on the content
- narrative
Such theatrical scenery implies the creation by the artist of a real space for the actions of the characters. Thanks to him, the stage becomes the place where the characters of the play live and act.
- metaphorical
This type of scenery does not include specific pieces of furniture or the space surrounding the characters, but it helps to convey the spirit and character of the production. A specialist strives for this goal by creating plastic metaphors. There are different ways to create metaphorical settings and the possibilities for them to interact with characters.
- Picturesque
This name means not a visual characteristic of theatrical scenery, but the fact that painting is the main way to create them. For the most part, these will be flat scenery, on which the artist applies different images. Firstly, it may be an attempt to depict a real space (landscape or interior) without the use of three-dimensional elements. Secondly, it can be some kind of conditional background, one way or another suitable for the meaning and idea of the performance. Visual arts can help with minimal means, but at the same time convey the spirit of what is happening on stage as accurately as possible with the help of background images.
- Constructivist
Some modern performances are very suitable for theatrical scenery of the constructivist type. They do not depict the space of action in the traditional sense, but only provide a certain structure for the actors. For example, it can be several platforms of different heights, between which the characters will move using ladders.
- architectural and spatial
In such scenery, the stage space is the most important element. The design installed on the stage treats it as a neutral background. In this case, the action focuses on the structure itself, which at the same time makes the most of the depth of the scene.
- dynamic
In many ways, dynamic theatrical scenery is similar to architectural and spatial, since in both cases the basis is movement. However, a separate type of stage space design, called dynamic, is distinguished based on such a criterion as a function of movement. In the previous type of scenery, the movement is designed to unfold a single installation in front of the viewer, and in this type it is understood that the movement is the central means of expression on which the entire performance is based.
- light
In general, light transforms any theatrical scenery, so mastering this tool in scenography is very important. However, professionals understand that light can act not only as an auxiliary tool that helps to correctly present the design of the scene. In some cases, it can play one of the leading roles along with other design methods. So you can talk about "decorations", the means of creating which are lighting equipment.
- projection
Modern theaters use theatrical scenery created with the help of special equipment. In this case, it is not the skill of the artist and architect that comes to the fore, but the quality of the projection equipment and screen. Their advantage is the ability to completely replace the volumetric decoration.
- Gaming
This type of theatrical scenery arose a very long time ago, when theater as an art form was in its infancy. The heroes of that time were wandering actors who showed their performances at various city venues. Naturally, they could not create a complete and integral stage design. The basis of the scenery were items that are part of the plot action. The actors themselves brought them to the stage, changed them, improvised with objects, etc.
- Off-ramp
This is a kind of subspecies of game scenery, designed for off-ramp performances. It is understood that the stage space is in the auditorium. In its pure form, this form of decoration is not often used. Different types of stage design intersect and interact, each time creating something original, so the primary properties of various media can be difficult to analyze. However, it is worth highlighting the various forms of theatrical scenery in order to show the variety of stage design techniques.
