Scenic Art for the Theatre

414 Pages·2011·88.375 MB·English

by  Susan Crabtree and Peter Beudert (Auth.)

CHAPTER 1
T H E P R O F E S S I O N A L
S C E N I C A R T I S T
The workisnearlysoundless, asimplemanualactivity. One scenicartgrewinimportancetremendouslyduringandafterthe
brushstrokeafteranotherismade,eachoneintendedtoconvey Renaissanceandtherediscoveryoftherulesofperspective.Inthe
shapeandmeaning. Eachbrushstroke, every flickofspatteris renaissance,theabilitytodrawinperspectivewasthegreatestskill
appliedwithpurposeandclearintention. Scenicpainting iswork ascenicartistpossessed,valuedevenovertheabilitytopaint.The
thatfully engages themind andbody.Arethereleavesin this skillofdrawing,nowcalledcartooning,remainedasubspecialtyof
brush? Notliterally, butdoes thisquickbounceandpushofthe scenicartforcenturiesfollowingtheRenaissance.Scenicartists
brush convey“leaf”?Ashormapleoroak? Facingthesunlight, furthersubdividedthepaintingcraftintoarangeofspecialtiesby
blown inthewind,oneontopofanother making abranch,a thenineteenthcentury,includingarchitecture,landscape,
limb,atree.Andthenmakeanother few trees. perspective,andfantasticalscenesasinFigure1-1.Inthenineteenth
Thisisthejobofascenic artist.Reflecting avisionoflife century,itwasthescenicartistwhowasthemasterofthestage
throughpainting andpainting thingsonavery,very largescale. imageasbothdesignerandpainter.Remarkably,theactofpainting
Wearinggrubbypaint-coveredclothesatworkisthenorm.Itisa forthestagetodayhaschangedlittlethroughthelongspanoftime
remarkablydurableold-fashionedcraftseeminglyoutofsyncwith sincescenicpaintingbegan.AlltheIndustrialRevolutionbroughtthe
thewireless24/7world.Novirtualbrushesyet.Ascenicartistis, scenicartistweremotorizedpaintframesandbetterwater-based
after all,apainter practicing acraftthathaschangedverylittle paint.Onlyinthelast20yearshasatrulyfundamentaltechnological
overthemanycenturies ofits existence. changecometoscenicartintheformofdigitizedartworkand
“Theancientsrequiredrealisticpicturesofrealthings,”1 mechanized“painting”onalargescale.
wrotetheRomanarchitectVitruviusinDearchitectura,orTen Thebeginning ofthetwentiethcenturybrought amore
BooksonArchitecture,writtensometimeinthelastcenturyBC.This profoundaesthetic change toscenicartistrythrough the
influentialbookwasrevisedandpublishedbyLeonBattistaAlberti developmentofmodernstagedesignandtheseparationofscenic
duringtheItalianRenaissance.InDearchitectura,Vitruviusgivesus artistsandscenicdesigners. Itwasat thatpointin timethat
thefirstwrittenrecordofscenicartistryindescribingGreekstage traditionaltwo-dimensional painted scenerywascritically
decorationandpaintinginthetimeofÆschylus.Throughoutthat reexaminedin relationship tothepresenceofthehuman body
2,500-yeartimespan,itisundeniablethatthesimpletaskof onstage.Duetothiscritical reexamination ofscenic paintingas
applyingcolortocanvaswithabrushhaschangedlittle.Thecraftof decoration, popularrecognitionoftheworkofthescenicartist
disappearedrapidlyfromthispointintime.Ithadbeencommon
fora scenicartistin thenineteenth centurytobegivenample
1Vitruvius,Dearchitectura,BookV,1999,Chapter6,p.69.
ScenicArtfortheTheatre.DOI:10.1016/B978-0-240-81290-8.00001-1
3
©2012ElsevierInc.Allrightsreserved.
4 TheProfessionalScenicArtist
The centuriesleadinguptothebeginning ofthemodern
stage designmovement sawthedevelopment ofspectacular
scenicpainting.Theabilityofthepaintedimagetobespectacular,
opulent,fantastical, andmagicalkepttraditional scenicpainting
alivein thetheatre.Somehowmodern stagecraftandtraditional
stage paintingwereabletocoexist,permittingscenic artistryto
continue andflourishuptoour owntime. Theatreproduction
withoutpaintingnowseemsunimaginable.
Thebestscenicartiststodayareunknowntothepublic,but
areverywellknownandrespectedtotheprofessionalswhowork
withthem.Itisunheardoftohavecreditgivenintheprogramofa
Broadwayproductiontoanindividualscenicartistonthesamelevel
asascenicdesigner.However,thoseofuswhoworkintheatre
knowwellthatscenicartistsareasmuchapartofthecreative
processasdesigners.JustasBroadwayproducersinsistonthework
ofsuchgifteddesignersasAnnaLouizos,JohnLeeBeatty,ScottPask,
andTonyWalton(tonamebutafew),itisinconceivablethatanyof
thesegreatdesignerswouldallowtheirworktobepaintedanyplace
otherthanamajorprofessionalscenicstudio.
To beascenic artististoearn alivingby painting.Itmay
mean thatone isaskedtowork oddhours, oftenin odd
locations. Itmaymean workingonadifferent project almost
everyweekoftheyear.Itmaymeannotworkingattimes,orat
other timeshavingmorerequests foryourworkthanthereis
timeintheday.Itmeansthatinalllikelihoodyouhavenooffice,
youbringyourtoolswithyou,andyoumightnotworkwiththe
same groupofpeopleregularly orinthesame place.Tobea
scenicartist–specifically,asuccessfulself-employedscenicartist–
FIGURE 1-1 Anexampleoftraditionalscenicpaintingstyleemulating
nineteenth-centurytechnique,possiblypaintedbyaEuropeanartistbroughtto alsomeansthatyouneedtohavegoodorganizationandbusiness
America.FromtheLyricOperaofChicago/NorthernIllinoisUniversityHistorical skills,asanyself-employedpersonneeds.Ascenicartistisaloner
ScenicCollection(CourtesyoftheSchoolofTheatreandDance,Northern inaworldinwhichmostpeopleworkforverylargecorporations.
IllinoisUniversity,AlexanderAducci,Curator).
Somemayseethisas freedom;othersmaynotbecomfortable
withthefinancialburdens ofindependence.
Beingascenicartistishardphysicalwork,too.Thephysical
recognitionbythepressandgeneralpublicfortheirpaintingskills.
scaleoftheworkisimmenseandyouarenearlyalwaysonyour
HadPeoplemagazineexisted 150years ago,itwouldnothave
feet,asin Figure1-2.Theartistic andemotionaldemandsare
beenuncommontoseeinitpicturesoffamousscenicartistsout
great. Theworkingdaycan belong,maybeindoorsorout,and
onthetownwithyoung aspiringactorsoractresses– suchwas
maynotalways bepredictable.Itisnotthesort ofcareer one
theirpopularity andprominence. Painted scenerywasvery
simplyfallsintobecausethereisnothingbettertodo.Oneneeds
suddenlyconsideredby sometobeterribly old-fashionedand
toseek outthepractice,prepare oneselfforitthroughalong
quaintby 1910:“Modernstage-craft hasbeenbornofa
periodoftraining,andputoutafairefforttofindwork.
realization thatpainting itselfisaminorpartofstagesetting.”2
Whatmaymatter mostisthatbeingascenic artistis
ThisstatementbyLee Simonsontypified theoutlookofthe
profoundly rewarding. Whatother professionallows youpaint
moderntheatrepractitioners during muchofthetwentieth
allday long?Ifpainting iswhatyouwanttodo,thereare few
century.
optionsforartists.Beingascenicartistis,afterall,beinganartist.
Being ascenicartist allowsyou topaintandfrequently paint
2LeeSimonson,TheStageIsSet,NewYork,1932. thingsonavery grandscale. Thousand-square-foot canvases
TheProfessionalScenicArtist 5
FIGURE 1-2 TheshopflooratScenicArtStudios,theonlyscenicshopintheNewYorkCityareadevotedsolelytoscenicpainting.EricStappachandMichalyn
Monsonworkonthe2008FifiAwardCeremonydesignedbyChrisJones.
knockedoutinone,two,orthreedays(orjustafewhours)are exactlywhattypeofpaintingascenicartistwillberequiredtodo
not thestuffofeverydaylife,except forthescenic artist.This is duringthecourse ofanygivenday.Allprofessional scenic artists
whatthescenic artistdoes,foritis acareerofpainting,plain arecertainly expected tobecapableofpainting large-scale
andsimple.Thatscenicartisalsohardlaborbecomesapparentall backdrops,oncetheprincipaloutputofthetradeandtothisday
tooquicklytotheyoung (andold)practitioner. Andsometimes avitalelement ofstage design.Contemporaryscenic artists are
thisreality isthethingwefindhardtooverlook. Yetwhocan alsoexpected toadeptlypainttwo-andthree-dimensional
denytherichpleasure oftheactofpainting?When thecanvas scenerybyemployingawide arrayofpainting techniques.
isprimedandfresh,when thecartoon isreadyandthecolors Faux-finishtechniques onthree-dimensional surfaces areas
mixed,itisexcitingtolaydownthefirstcoloronadrop.Thereis commonnowasthetraditionaltrompe l’oeilpaintingthatis
animmediaterewardofabrushpullingoncanvasandtheproper thefoundation ofscenicart.
stroke ofpaint. Doesthisnotfulfillusin someprofoundway? Scenicartistsmayapplypainttocanvas,linen,wood,plastic,
foam,andmetalasamatter ofcourse.Theypaintobjectswhile
standingandobjectslying down,requiringtwo different
THEPROFESSIONALSCENICARTIST
techniques. Ascenic artistuses apaletteoftraditionalcolors in
Ascenicartist isahighlyspecializedpainter whoworks onvery severalformatsandavarietyofmediaaswellasvarioustexturing
large-scaleandoftenrealisticpaintings.Yetthissortofpaintingis andfinishingproductsandmustbeanexpertintheuseofthese
bynomeansallthatscenicartistsdo.Infact,itisdifficulttostate materials. Theypaintwithbrooms,sprayers, rollers,pumps,
6 TheProfessionalScenicArtist
sponges,rags, feathers,and,ofcourse,brushes.Sculptureand sealing,texturing,thinning,extending,orchemicallydryingpaint.
carving areskills expectedofmanyscenic artists,especiallyin Scenicartistsalsomustpossessknowledgeintheareasofscenic
regionaltheatres (thoughatthetoplevelsofthecraftthereare design,drafting,calligraphy,andsignpainting.Inthisprofession,
sculptorswhosculpt andcarveexclusively). Thus,knowledgeof wherevisualimagesarereproducedonalargescale,such
sculptingandcrafting inwood,foam,fabric,metal,andother expertiseisthefoundationalskillset.
materialsisalsoessentialknowledgeforthescenicartist,although Inadditiontotheseskills,exceptionalscenicartistswillhave
notthefocusofthistext. acquireda widebaseofknowledge tosupportthevisualimages
andeffectsthattheyareaskedtocreate.Knowledgeintheareas
ofartandarthistory(clearly necessarytosuccessfully createan
TheExpectationsofaProfessionalScenicArtist
imagesuchasFigure1-3),architecture,architecturalandtheatrical
Successfulscenicartists,likemanyartistsofthetheatre,needa history, photography,printing, mechanical image reproduction,
widearrayofskillsandknowledgetoservethemintheir andgeometryandthenaturalsciencesareallpartofthebodyof
profession.Thenatureofthebusinessoftheatremeansthatscenic knowledgethatcontributestotheday-to-dayworkofthescenic
artistsmightencounterajobnotknowinganyoftheircolleagues artist.Akeencuriosityandgoodpowersofobservationhelpput
orthedesignerwhoseworktheywillsoonpaint;norwouldthey thisacquiredknowledgetowork.Travelandexperiencecertainly
knowtheproducerwhoispayingthem.However,thescenicartist contribute totheabilitytosynthesizeone’sknowledgeofthe
willbeexpectedtocomewithknowledgeandskillsatprofessional physicalworld.The abilitiestocalluptheseskills andtowork
standards–skillscommontoscenicartistsworldwide.Someskills quickly andwithouthaving tounnecessarily reworkoroverwork
areself-evident:allprofessionalscenicartistsmustdrawandpaint anystepofthescenicpainting processare necessarytocall
verywell.Scenicartistsalsomustknowtheirtools–paintand oneselfa professionalscenic artist.
brushes–aswellashowtoworkonsurfacestheyarecalledonto Drawinganddraftingaretheskillsscenicartistsusewhen
paintandthehundredsofproductsusedinpainting,staining,dying, beginningascenicimageandarethebasisofscenicpainting.Nearly
FIGURE 1-3 Chaucer.ScenicdesignbyDavidBirn,paintedatScenicArtStudios.ThisdesignclearlyemulatestheBaroquepaintingstyleandtechnique.
TheProfessionalScenicArtist 7
precisedrawing skills.Puttingawallpaperstenciltoeffective use
requiresconsiderable preparationandplanningusingan
accuratelydrawnregistrationgrid.Accuratelyregisteringapattern
acrossseveralindependentscenicunitsrequiresadisciplinedand
thoughtfulorganization ofthepainting surfacebasedonprecise
measurementanddrawing.
Anextremelyspecializedform ofdrawingconsists of
calligraphy,lettering,andsign painting, whichshapelettersand
words,perhapsthemostprecisesetofgraphicimagesinthe
world.Theseimagesarefamiliar toallviewers, whoinstinctively
recognizegoodorpoorlettering.Scenicartistsshouldthushavea
workingknowledgeoftheconstructionofcommonserifandsans
serif–styleletteringaswellasanunderstandingofcalligraphyand
signpainting. Calligraphyandsignpainting relyonbrush
techniquesas wellastheform oftheletters themselves andare
specializedskills thatscenic artists mustatleastcomprehend.
Scenicpaintingskillsrelyonthefundamentalsofpaintingand
colortheory andavariety ofpaintingtechniques.Sound
understanding ofcolor iscritical forscenic artists,whomixpaint
colorsbasedontheir understanding ofhowcolorsanddifferent
typesofpaintinteract toachievetheir targetcolor.Manipulating
theapplicationofcoloronapaintedsurfacesothatitappearsto
beonehueatadistanceandacombinationofhuescloseupisa
skillbasedonunderstandingcolorandhumanopticalperception.
Scenicartists alsomustbewellversedinhowpainting
FIGURE 1-4 EnchantedApril,designedbyTonyStraiges,paintedat
ScenicArtStudios.Beautifulfoliagepaintingrequiresknowledgeofthesubject techniqueshave evolved.Scenicartistryis aprofessioninwhich
matteraswellasgoodpaintingskills. artistsmightbecalledontorecapturethesoulandsubstanceof
artfromallerasinhistory.Inoneproduction,ascenicartistmay
becalledontorecreateaverylarge-scaleRembrandt’sTheNight
everyscenicartproject,particularlyifitistrompel’oeil,beginswith Watch,whereasinthenextproduction,thechallengemightbeto
anaccuratedrawingtoguidethework.Thedrawingof createwallpaperinthestyleofAndyWarhol.Scenicartistsmust
architecturereliesontherulesofgeometryandlinearperspective understandthemethodswhereby theseworkswereoriginally
forprecision.Geometryisessential,asitprovidesarational, createdtorecreate themon stage.Furthermore,theymustbe
mathematicalbasisformanyaspectsofvisualarts,includingform abletorecreatetheseimagesvery quickly.Scenic artistscannot
andproportion.Mostartistsneedcomprehensivedrawingand reproduceTheNightWatch withthethickly appliedoil-based
draftingskillsaswellasasoundunderstandingofperspectiveto pigmentthatRembrandtusedorturntosilkscreeningasWarhol
reproduceacompleximagelikeaperspectivestreetscene.Thisis did.Instead, theymustrelyon theirknowledge ofmodern
especiallytruewhenlayingoutafull-stagedrop.Scenicartists mediumsandalternativetechniquestorecreatethesameeffects
paintingadropmustbeincommandoftheoverallperspective quicklywhile fulfilling thevisionofthescenicdesigner.
whiledrawingitoutinsmallmanageablepieces.But,beyond Knowledge andunderstanding ofthehistories ofart,
drawing,eventhesimplestwetblendofonecolortoanothermust architecture,andtheatre alsoare essential tounderstanding what
havecorrectproportiontolookbalanced.ClassicalGreekideals scenicartists arecalled ontopaint,as evidencedin thedifferent
ofproportionandformarebasedongeometricrationality.These stylesofFigure 1-5andFigure1-6.Scenic artistsneedtohave a
aestheticsofproperproportionandidealformarethecoreof thoroughknowledge andunderstanding ofthescenicdesigner’s
manyofthevisualimagesweseetoday. artisticintentbehindtheuseofclassicandartisticreferencesina
Drawinganddraftingskillsare alsocritical tomany designso thattheintentcomesthroughclearly inthe
prepainting layoutskills.Preparingawallpaperstencilrequires contemporaryexecutionofit.Theatreistremendouslyrelianton
8 TheProfessionalScenicArtist
FIGURE 1-5 Anexampleofturn-of-the-centuryAmericantheatricalscenicpainting.TheTwinCitiesScenicCollection(CourtesyofthePerformingArtsArchives,
UniversityofMinnesotaLibraries,St.Paul,Minnesota).
historyandhistoricalreferences. Weworkwith400-year-old styles oftheearlytwentieth centuryandlater, andall ofthese
playsasamatterofcourse.Althoughthestatementaproduction elements arepart ofthevisualvocabulary ofa scenicdesigner.
makesisobviously contemporary, theelements ofexpression Theknowledge ofthetheatreis vastlyimportanttothe
oftenaredrawnfrom history. Manyscenicdesigners describe professionalscenicartistinregardtounderstandingthemannerin
theirworkintermsofotherartistsorartisticmovements,evenif whichatheatrical productioniscreated. Scenic artistscould
nodirectimitationisinvolved. Because designersoftenrelyon understandablyenvisionthemselves asasolitarypainter,butone
phrasestoevokeascenic vision,suchas“thecoolcontrolled mustremainaware oftheinterrelationship betweenthescenic
worldofVermeer”or“thedarkqualityofRomanesque artistandthosewhocreatethevisionofascenicdesign–those
architecture,”allthewhiledescribing adesignforTheLifeand whobuilditandthosewhouseit.
DeathofKingJohn,scenic artists hadbetterknowwhatthese Photography is a useful means to observe the world
codedwordsmean.Thesereferencesareawayofdescribingthe because it asksthe careful photographer to consider light, both
intangiblesofdesign.Sometimesthebestwaytoputwordstoan natural and artificial, in an objective way. Light reveals all visual
imageistobringtomindthememoryofawell-knownimageasa images. Understanding and reproducing how surface, form,
vehicletoconveystyleandintention. and atmosphere respond to light is the mark of a proficient
Knowinghistoricalstyles oftheentertainmentindustry is painter. The very act of photography helps anyone retain the
critical aswell.Weshareahistory withvaudeville, melodrama, memory of a place. A stock of photographs can serve as a
TheProfessionalScenicArtist 9
FIGURE1-6 ScenicartistsIrinaPortnyaginawithscenicdesignerScottPaskconferaboutthedropsforMartinShort:FameBecomesMeatScenicArtStudios.
fabulous personal resource for scenic artists. For example, an andscenicartists.Complexsignageiseasilycartoonedoractually
album of cloud and sky photos will come in handy for scenic cutintomany commonlyusedmaterials withtheaidofa
artists painting sky drops and landscapes. This is evidenced by computer-guided router, commonlycalledaCNC(Computer
theubiquitouspresenceofJudyJuracek’smarvelouspublications NumericalControl)machine.Stencilsofanytypecanbemadein
ArchitecturalSurfaces,SoftSurfaces,andSurfacesinscenicstudios thesame way, andacomputer willhelp intheregistration
and on scenic designers’ shelves. These three publications are process.Digitalimagemanipulation can aidascenic artistin
rich collections of high-quality photographs of common and adaptingpaintelevations tooddsizesorin creatingmore
uncommonobjectsandsurfacesthatdesignersandartistsusein mechanical printing“looks”suchasdotscreening. Scenic
the theatre. Many successful scenic artists collect books of designersusephotocopyinganddigitalimaging extensivelyto
photographs, paintings, and drawings that describe the physical makepaintelevations.Large-format copymachines andprinters
world to use as reference for their work. Internet image provideasource toscenic artistsforfinished,ornearlyfinished,
searchesareanextraordinarilyusefultoolifusedwithadequate colorimagesforstage use.Ultra-wide format paintingmachines
knowledge to know when the search turns up inaccurate arewidelyusedforfull-stagedropsorlargepaintedsurfaces.The
information. verypresenceofthesemachines forcesadebate astothe
Knowledgein thetechnology ofrelatedcrafts hasdirect relevanceofthescenicartistversus amachinethatpaints.One
applicationtoscenic art,particularly withcomputersand cannotexpect thatthesimpleandmarvelous humangestureof
mechanical image reproduction.Copy machinesandthe paintingcanever bereplacedinacost-effective way,butitisa
computer arenowirreplaceabletools formost scenicdesigners goodideaforscenicartists tobefully aware ofhowsuch
10 TheProfessionalScenicArtist
machines workandwhatsorts ofbinders,pigments,and simple ingredients make magnificent dishes, like a cassoulet or a
applicationprocessestheyemploy. risotto.Inthesamelight,apaintingis,afterall,justsomuchpaint.
Theunderstandingofsomenaturalsciencescanbecritical Part of what makes painting and cooking similar is the craft
knowledgeforascenicartist.Geologyisfarfromthestudyof behind them. Good cooking starts with solid technical skills:
paintingandtheatre,butforanartistresponsibleforpainting chopping items correctly, making a simplebéchamel sauce, using
representationsandaspectsoftheworldwelivein,thisisanarea ingredients at the right temperature, and so on. Then one
ofknowledgethatwillproveinvaluableinsomeprojects.For actually cooks each element of a dish in the correct manner –
instance,scenicartistsareoftencalledontorealisticallyrecreate nottoolong,nottooquickly.Thenoneseasonswithrestraintto
marbleandstoneinpaint.Toaccuratelypaintmarble,particularly allow the inherent flavors to emerge. It is not magic, just good
atalargescale,thepainter’sworkismademucheasierwiththe andconsistentpractice.Thesameistrueofpainting:ifonetakes
knowledgeofhowstoneismade,cut,andusedinarchitecture. all the correct steps in order and does them well, the result is
Theknowledgeofwhytheveinsexistinmarbleandhowtheygot sound. I was taught early on that every step of the painting
thereiscriticaltothereproductionofit.Thisisclearlyapparent process needs to be well executed and that a poorly drawn or
whenapplyingpaintedstonetothree-dimensionalsurfacesfroma painted step cannot be improved by better work later. Best to
two-dimensionalpaintelevationandwhenstandingonalarge correct things then and there. Good painters, like good cooks,
dropworkingfromasmallelevation.Knowinghowmarbleis know that painting too much – overpainting – can destroy good
formedandveinedispartofknowingwhyitlooksthewayitlooks. work, just as too much salt can ruin a delicate dish. Part of
Understandingofthenaturalworldonabasiclevelhelpsapainter learningtopaintislearningprocessandpracticingrestraintwhen
workmorerapidlyandimprovisewhenneeded.Knowledgeofthe appropriate.
subjectmattercangiveinsightintothedesigner’sgoalandgivesthe
artistandthedesignerameanstocommunicate.Understanding
TheScenic Artist’sPerception
thestructureofamountainrangecanbeatremendousassetwhen
paintingalandscapeofmountains,astheknowledgeofthe Being agoodpainter isthemostobviousskillforascenic artist.
mountainsgivesthepainterinsightintotheirformandhelpsturn Butascenic artistisaspecialkindofpainter, andtheremustbe
eachshapeontheelevationintoameaningfulbrushstroke.This something thatmakesonewanttoworkin film,television, or
approachappliestopaintingtrees,clouds,andalmostanynatural theatreinsteadofinyourownlittlestudio.Scenicartistsmustbe
formsuchasthefoliageinFigure1-4. abletoperceiveandcarryforwardthescenicdesigner’sintent,
Theexperienceoftravelcertainlyisanirreplaceableassetfor notjustenlarge andreproduce whatisgiventhembutto
anyscenicartist,astravelbringsinsightintotheworldonelivesin. transform it.Usually, scenicartists areinterpreting theworkofa
Travelhasbeen,andstillis, animportantcomponent ofhigher scenic designerfrom averysmall scaleintoalargesize
educationforuniversity students.Itisarevelation tothecareful appropriate forthetheatre.Thekeytothecraftistheabilityto
observertoseeItalyforthefirsttime.The skyandstoneofthe interpret.Most anyonecan learntotraceormechanically
countryhaveauniquequality,andthisqualitymakescleartheuse reproduce animage.Scenicartists mustinterpret visual
ofcolorslikeItalianBlueandRawUmber.Haveyoueverseena information receivedfromthedesigner,not justbysurface
paintingofaplaceyouknowandrealizedthatthepainter appearance butalsobyhowthatinformationrelates tothe
responsiblehadactually neverbeenthere? Somanyaspectsof overallstage picture. Thus,scenicartists mustunderstandthe
theworldcannotbefully captured inaphotograph, suchas the scenicdesigner’sartisticintentions.Thisabilitytointerpretcannot
diminutivesizeofanoldEuropean villageorthemassive quality beunderstated.Thebottomlineisthatscenicartistshavetopaint
ofManhattan buildingdetails.Travelis notjustleisuretimefor scenerywithabrush–orsomethinglikeabrush–andmakethe
scenicartists;observing thevariety oftheworldbuildsintegrity image happennomatter whatform theinformationcomes in.
intotheirwork. Timeandtimeagain,scenic artistsare calledon Goodscenic artists mustalsobeabletoremain neutral intheir
tofillintheblanks,makeupadetail,orfleshoutapieceoftrim. ownpaintingstyleinordertoabsorbthestyleofthearttheyare
Havingapersonalreserveofexperiencemakesthatworkallthe expected tointerpret.
moreinteresting andauthentic. Itisundeniablethatmorejobopportunities existin
Thequalitiesofagoodchefarenotunlikethoseofagood professionalscenicpaintingnowthaneverbefore.Thisiscertainly
painter. Good cooks take individual ingredients and make a trueifoneincludesscenicartistswhoworkintelevision,film,and
mixturethatisbetterthanthesumoftheparts.Infact,relatively decorativearts.Itisalsotruethattherearemanymorepathsby
TrainingtoBeaScenicArtist 11
whichoneenterstheprofessionnowthantherewereinthepast, complement thecast shadowanddescribe thequalityoflight? If
eventherecentpast.ThisismosttrueinNorthAmerica,wherea thisimagewereexecutedinanimpressionisticstyle,whatwould
sprawling privateandpublicuniversity systemprovidesgood thepalette ofcolors be?Becausescenic artists arefirstand
exposureand,insomecases,excellenttrainingintheatrepractice. foremost visualartists,theseexercises arepreformednumerous
The traditionaltrainingformat wasanapprentice system,onein timeseachday– almostunconsciously – becausetheartists are
whichwomenwererarelyadmitted.Thishaschangedsignificantly alwaysseeing andimprovingtheir paintskills,regardless of
in thelast 100years, inpartas aresultoftheuniversities whetherthereis abrushinhand.
mentionedearlierandtheappearanceofveryspecializedprivate Scenicartistsmustbeconversantandfluidinmanydifferent
schoolsandstudiotraining. TheAmerican unionfortheatrical stylesofart. Theseskills arealsoreflectedin thescenic artist’s
artists,UnitedScenicArtists(USA),alsohasrecentlyinstitutedan abilitytorecognizeandunderstandtheskillandstylisticfluidityof
apprenticeship program forscenicartists. otherartists.Figures 1-7and1-8showthetransitionfrom
Nomatterhowonebeginstodevelopscenicpaintingskills,it paintingtostagethatanexperienced scenicartistneeds tobe
takestime–oftenalotoftime–tobecomeanaccomplished, abletoaccomplish.Whether walkingthroughapicture gallery,
independentartist.Evenafteradvancedtrainingatauniversity,it lookingthroughabook,orobservingtheworkofpeers,scenic
maytakeyearsofexperiencetoattaintheskillsrequiredto artistscontinually refine theirknowledge andskills byscrutinizing
proficientlypaintonechallenginganddiverseprojectafteranother. howotherartistshavesolvedcartooningproblems,appliedcolor
Almosteverysuccessfulscenicartistcanpointtooneortwo theory,andutilizedpaintingtechniques.Whenscenicartistsarein
peopleintheircareerwhotookthemundertheirwingandtrained
them.Thoughapprenticeshipisnolongertheonlywayintothe
profession,amentor’sguidanceisacriticalpartofascenicartist’s
development.Therearealwaysextremelygiftedpainterswho
seemtounderstandexactlyhowscenicpaintingworksevenafter
minimalexposuretotheartform.However,therestofusmust
keepinmindthatbecomingagoodscenicartistrequirespatience.
Thereismuchtolearnartistically,managerially,andpractically.
Anotherimportantaphorismtokeepinmindisthatscenicartists
neverstoplearning.Everyencounterwiththephysicalworldis
anotheropportunityforthescenicartisttobetterunderstandthe
practice,techniques,andartoftheprofession.
TRAININGTOBEASCENICARTIST
Ultimately, scenic artistryisbasicallyavisualart. Besidesthevast
arrayoftechnicalandorganizationalskills theymustpossess,
scenic artistsmustbeabletoseeandinterpret theworld.The
word seeinghereisdistinguishedfrom thewordlooking.
Developingpaintingskillsbecomespartofeverywakingmoment
becausetheseskillsaredirectlyrelatedtotheskillsofobservation.
Scenic artistsmustlearn howtoseetheworldaroundthem,
constantly exercisingtheir observationalskills bybreakingdown
every formorvistaintothecomponents necessarytotranslate
themintotwo-dimensional images. Howisthedepthoffield
describedinlinework?Howwouldthelineworkbeconstructed
FIGURE 1-7 Designforchandeliers,UnBalloinMascheraatthe
torepresenttheforeshorteningofforms?Howcanatexturebe
MetropolitanOpera,NewYorkCity.SketchdraftedbyHalTiné,paintedby
recreated? Whatbasecoatshouldbeused?Whichelements
PeterWexler.PhotobyPeterWexler,courtesyoftheNewYorkPublicLibrary
wouldbepaintedfirst?Whatpaintingtechniqueswouldbeused? forthePerformingArtsatLincolnCenter,BillyRoseTheatreCollection,Peter
Wherewouldtheshadesbelocated?Whathighlightcolorwould WexlerCollection.
12 TheProfessionalScenicArtist
FIGURE1-8 Theopeningsettingforthe1980productionofUnBalloinMaschera,attheMetropolitanOperaatLincolnCenter,NewYorkCity.PhotobyPeter
Wexler,courtesyoftheNewYorkPublicLibraryforthePerformingArtsatLincolnCenter,BillyRoseTheatreCollection,PeterWexlerCollection.
thepaintshop,theseskills ofobservation arereflectedintheir universities have undergraduate degree programs in theatre
accuratedraftingability,abilitytoassesscolorintermsofchroma offering Bachelor of Fine Arts or Bachelor of Arts degree
(hue),intensity andvalue,stylistic fluidity, andabilitytoevaluate options.Theseprogramspreparestudentsforadvancedtraining
thequalityofscenic paintinginworkas itprogressthrough the or provide ambitious students with enough information to
stepsofpaintingontheshopfloor. continuetheirowntrainingasapprenticesorfull-fledged scenic
Until the twentieth century, training in the art of scenic artists.
painting was almost exclusively available only to the sons of
establishedscenicartistsandyoungmenwillingtoworkundera
American UniversityTraining Programs
longapprenticeship.Intheeighteenthandnineteenthcenturies,
young painters commonly began to learn the craft in scenic Thepopulation boom intheUnitedStatesduringthetwentieth
studios before their teens. This changed considerably in the centuryvastlyexpandedacollegeanduniversity systeminall
twentieth century, principally due to the influence of labor 50states,makingpostsecondaryschoolingavailabletomillionsof
unionsthathumanizedworkingconditions,improvedpayscales, students. Asnotedpreviously,many universities intheUnited
and fought for the inclusion of women in the craft. Equally Stateshave adoptedpracticaltrainingfortheatrecraftintotheir
significant is the vast expansion of training opportunities in the curricula.Thegrowthofthissystemhastakenplaceatroughlythe
theatre through the American university system. There are same timeasthegrowthofunionsrepresenting thetheatrical
dozens of university programs in which terminal Master of Fine trades.Someofthefirstinfluential American scenicdesigners
Arts degrees are available to performers, designers, and established thefirsttheatrical trainingprogramsat American
technicians of the theatre. Few offer degrees specifically for universities. Yale University established thefirst trainingprogram
scenic artists, but many offer training in scenic art. Even more forscenicdesigners inthe1920sunderthedirectionofDonald