Plotnikova L.V. – art historian

THEATRE NEEDS THE DRAPE, DOESN'T IT?

There are known different theatrical systems in the History of human culture. And the drape as attribute doesn't inhere in any of them. Presence of the drape is conditioned on the stage forming properties. And these properties or the form is worked out with the cultural history.

So the theatre as the whole and the drape as its attribute should be considered in particularly historical aspect. From this point of view, it is incorrectly to assume there has been no any drape in the ancient Greek. It is not the fact. From the same point of view, it is arguably to affirm there has been no any drape in the medieval theatre as it does not inhere in this theatrical system and it is not its attribute. From these consideration it is impossible to agree with the statement the 20th century has doubted again need of the drape. It has just formulated accurate limits of some theatrical systems belonging to the certain culture and certain historical epoch.

The issue about need of the drape in the Russian theatre has remained open for more than 100 years. As early as 1908 Fedor Sologub was famous to be first who took away the drape. Georgiy Chulkov, the publicist of the beginning of the 20th century offered to organize the theatre without stage that's without boards. Controversies were about formating aesthetic system in the theatre. The cause of them was the change of value criterions in the society between the 19th – 20th centuries. As early as the beginning of the last century F.Sologub's and G.Chulkov's idea was conceived and realized by the great theatrical reformer Meyerhold. It results of this event that the theatrical director taking away the drape does not do any creative deed. He just turns to another well-known artist system which shows the best correlation with his creative idea. It is quite realizable under modern conditions if there is a large proscenium that can transform in circle. But the drape is necessary if the stage is deep and portal. It is an attribute of the form, attribute of Italian stage-box.

But, certainly, there is a performance on the portal stage and without drape, while there are no means. In this case, scenography as a substantial form has to take account of economical situation in the theatre. And very often with great fortitude theatrical chief producers and directors manage to get money including for a proper drape aspiring to their purpose very hard for years.

But why does the drape in particular attract attention? Evidently, as it lies in the plane of the deep stage “mirror”. This mirror is a mysterious symbolic border between reality and illusion that has great spiritual exertion. And that's the reason why the drape is able to convey picture of the world, to speak in the language of culture, symbol, and theatre. There are no reasons to assume only decorative drape for the performance is able to convey picture of the world. Every portal drape, even one-colour (some people want a black drape), - it is some expression of author's picture of the world. And this expression is not up to the author's will or shown advisedly. The point is that the viewer's perception formed within Russian culture, Russian in a comprehensive sense, is oriented to the search of implication or another top sense in the cultural signed symbols. Theatrical drape is namely this symbol.

There are some sorts of portal drapes now. A blind one-colour to the colour of elbow-chairs inhered to the most of Soviet theatres of the latter of the 20th was the architectural, not theatrical solution. Just now in the time of Postsoviet reflection the one-colour drape is perceived as a blind wall fencing off another space. What can be behind of the blind wall?

In contrast to the blind drape the decorative drape – is an overture, grand beginning, premonition of great event. This is the classical form of the drape of Italian stage. In European typology it calls Wagner's drape. Its synonym is portiere-drape. If in the middle of the 20th century only one Russian theatre is allowed to have an exemplary decorative drape now situation is different. Eccentric examples of decorative drapes are made in T. Burakova's Creative Art Studio. And they have peculiar characteristics. It is architectonical elaboration in sketch leading to the unity with the interior. It is constructive use of draperies and accessories, applique on the basis of handmade painting. It is a combination of real drapery and volumetric painting making illusion of depth on the mirror plane.

Anecdotal drape growing from the root specificity of Russian theatre is the most interesting type of portal drapes. Vivid drape full of deep symbolism is the beginning of dramatic art. Since close of 70 of the 20th century, owing to the evolution of the methods of artistic textile painting such anecdotal drape has been applied in the theatre. Examples of these types of drapes are T. Burakova's works in the Nizhnevartovskiy City Drama Theatre (2001); in the Visotskiy Cultural Centre, Talnakh-city, Krasnoyarsk Territory (2000); Variety (1996) and the Film-concert Theatre “Cosmos”, Yekaterinburg. The last artist's work is the drape in the Theatre for Young Spectators, Zarechniy-city, Penzenskaya province (2004). Subjects of these drapes can be objectless or object-symbolical. There are image of nature and culture – sky, trees, birds, water streams, and human figures painted in archway. This is a human world reflected in the “mirror” stage and turned into symbol. The depth of theatrical symbolism is unlimited. For example, a tree is painted in counter-relief lighting. We see only its shady side and the light, as though, is flowing from the depth of the stage. Is it the soffitlight or symbolical skylight? A bird is flying to the archway, but wings-span doesn't allow it to disappear in the light-stream. Being free as if it is in prison. Human figures painted earthy and deeply lyrical, as if they are easy talking about universal peace. Even carnival element is painted in symbolism, but it is like paralyzed with the face of inconceivable eternity and then, very carefully begins to move again in the time of drape opening. As if they are picking up speed to forthcoming performance.

Anecdotal drape – is dramatical characters of the human conflicting world. Subject is symbolical. But every symbol has dot its own features. There are different definitions of symbol, but the plot takes down to the following. Symbol is neither subject nor illustration and definition. Definition is pressing towards that it is about, that's to catch and express everything. Symbol conversely points to beyond the limits of itself. Metropolitan Surozhskiy Antoniy has got vivid explanation of symbol-principle: “If we show sky reflection in water to the person his first motion will be not to look narrowly at this water, but to look upwards. This is a principle of symbol: something earthy appears to point to something heavenly; something easily felt to point to that can be cognized in the very person's depths with the deepest perception. ”

Drape is a part of the whole system. We won't to hurry with the conclusions about fortunes of theatrical systems and their attributes. The century is just beginning.