XVIII: Worlds of art & entertainment

 

content

Art abducts us in other worlds

Worlds of art: “mimesis”, deception, fiction, simulation, creation

Various kinds of performing arts in Antiquity ...

... in the Middle Ages ...

... and since 1425

Popular sports

Pleasure gardens

Zoos, botanical gardens and amusement parks

 

 

Art abducts us in other worlds

 

The most fascinating fact of art is its power to generate pictures in our mind and to abduct us in other worlds. Philosophy and aesthetics since 1750 comprehended that as “associative evoked connotations” (“assoziativ erzeugte Vorstellungen”).

By simply looking at graphic characters or words we see persons, locations and landscapes, we feel with the persons, we see what the persons see, we move with them.

The same occurs with sounds, either in oral narration, in music, or on a radio play.

 

Of the vast field of art here we consider the performing arts, possessing the most power to abduct us in different worlds.

 

For possible classification of all arts see:

Fig. 77: Categories of art

 

For sketch sheets, architectural models, theories of design see:

chap. VI: Draft, design, hypothesis

For descriptive world models, illustrations, drawings, graphic visualization see:

chap. XII: Visualization, illustration

For small- and big-scale models, wax models, ship models, etc.:

chap. XIV: Representation, description, image

For humans as “models” for artists see:

chap. XXIII: Substitute

 

 

Worlds of art: “mimesis”, deception, fiction, simulation, creation

 

Theories of art belong to the oldest theories we know. Especially in Old Greece there was a lively dispute on the characteristics, aims and realities of art. Among the protagonists were Plato and Aristotle.

Plato criticized art because of its character of deception. Since the orientation of “mimesis“ is on the world of appearance instead on the world of ideas, Plato took poetry for speciousness. Aristotle was more liberal; he conceded the poet a limited right to fictionalize. But the aim of “mimesis” remained, and fiction was accepted only as transformation of reality. In his “Poetry” (chapter 9) Aristotle admitted the poet to communicate not what is but what could be.

 

In the 20th century, Roman Ingarden (German 1931; English 1973) promoted the fictional character of literature, later he deepened it in his “Ontology of the Work of Art – The Musical Work, the Picture, the Architectural Work, the Film” (German 1962; English 1989).

In his essay of 1964 Roland Barthes added to the concepts of mimesis and fiction the one of “simulacrum”. Later authors expanded it to “simulation”, e. g. Jean Baudrillard (1981). Other facets are by Umberto Eco (1962) and John R. Searle (1979), Jacques Derrida (1967) and Paul de Man (1971), Michel Foucault, Jacques Lacan and Gilles Deleuze.

 

Most other authors have walked right in the “representation” trap. The Swiss poet Friedrich Dürrenmatt confounded the representationists 1959 with his confession (Weiser, 1975, 333):

“The nub of the matter of dramatic art is to find a poetic fable. With this dramatic art is an attempt to build a world with ever and ever new models, a world provoking ever and ever new models.”

Dramatic art or poetry is “not a representation of world” but a creation of new, a construction of worlds of their own” (Flaschka, 1976, 128-129).

 

The Swiss colleague of Dürrenmatt, Max Frisch, denoted his play “Andorra” (1961) as model (“Andorra ist der Name für ein Modell”):

 

bibliography:

Mimesis

Philosophie und Theorie von Film - Rundfunk – Fernsehen - Medien

Creativity, creative mind, phantasy

 

 

Art as mirror of the world

 

In 1999 the British painter and writer Julian Bell dealt already with the „representaton“ function of art. In 2007 he publishes a nearly 500 page book on „a new history of art“: „Mirror of the World“.

 

bibliography:

representation/ mental representation

 

 

Various kinds of performing art in Antiquity ...

 

From Old Egypt we have a religious play preserved: “The Triumph of Horus”, inscribed on the walls of the Temple of Edfu about 110 BC but presumably many centuries older (Herbert Walter Fairman 1974). Also various kinds of magic and illusion, conjuration and divination are practiced since the beginning of civilization in Egypt, Sumer and elsewhere.

Since 500 BC we have the famous Greek tragedies and comedies. Aeschylus and Sophocles even composed music to accentuate their plays.

 

bibliography:

Herbert Walter Fairman: The Triumph of Horus. An Ancient Egyptian Sacred Drama. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press/ London: Batsford 1974.

review by: Terry Theodore. Educational Theatre Journal 27. 3, Popular Theatre, October 1975, 434-435.

 

 

... in the Middle Ages ...

 

In the Middle Ages traveling jugglers and minstrels, later troubadours entertained people at the courts with songs on historical events or phantasies, with ballads or epics, “chansons de geste” (since 1050) and romance.

 

The first known play in the Middle Ages is Hroswitha of Gandersheim (ca. 960). From 1250 dates the first German-speaking medieval drama, the “Osterspiel” (easter play) of Muri Abbey in Switzerland, a precursor of mystery plays and miracle plays.

 

In the 15th century developed the first kind of profane plays in Germany, especially Nuremberg, the „Fastnachtsspiel“ (carnival play), concerning mundane problems instead of religious ones.

 

... and since 1425

 

Around 1425 Domenico da Piacenza wrote his „Art of Dancing“ („De la arte di ballare et danzare“). He was not only a theoretician but also composed choreographies and performed on stage.

Since 1489 (or: 1582) we have spreading from Italy the ballet, since 1550 the “commedia dell’arte” and pantomime, since 1600 the opera.

Since 1657 we have in Spain the „zarzuela“, since 1679 in Italy the „opera buffa“ (comic opera), and soon in England “ballad operas”, in France “opéra comique” and in Germany “Singspiel”.

Much later, since 1848, we have “operetta”, in German described as „leichte Muse“.

 

A special kind of theatre were the demonstrations and projections with the “camera obscura” (since 1600) and the “magic lantern” (since 1650), culminating in the “phantasmagoria” of Robertson around 1800 – notably a precursor of the movies (see XIX: worlds of media & internet).

 

Magicians as entertainers we find since the 16th century; famous illusionists with stage shows were since 1710 Isaac Fawkes at English fairs and Joseph Fröhlich since 1725 at the Court in Dresden, and since 1760 in whole Europe Jacob Philadelphia, Nicholas-Philippe Ledru and Joseph Pinetti. In 1777 the physicist and satirist Christoph Lichtenberg opposed Philadelphia. In the same year Goethe saw a performance of him in Weimar; it is said that it inspired parts of the “Faust”.

 

Other kinds of theatre are since 1770 circus, since 1830 vaudeville, minstrel shows, burlesque, music hall and the like, later musical, cabaret and revue.

 

bibliography:

Unterhaltung - Entertainment

 

 

Popular sports

 

Since the beginning of the high cultures fist fighting to entertain people is recorded in Sumer, Egypt and India.

In 1681 a bare-knuckle fight is documented in England. Soon there were regularly boxing events in a London theatre; the first champion was elected in 1719.

Wrestling (French: catch) first has been practiced in country fairs in the late 19th century. The first organized national wrestling tournament was held in New York City in 1888.

 

Other kinds of entertaining sports are since the second half of the 19th century competitions of: skating and skiing, tennis, cycling, gymnastics, auto racing, as well as team sports like baseball, football, ice hockey, basketball, etc.

 

Institutionalized entertainment of various kinds of sports has been provided since 1896 by the Olympic Games.

The first appearance of sports in film was in 1894 and 1896 (boxing matches), 1895 (horse racing) and 1898 (baseball game).

The first live sport report in the radio concerned a boxing match in Pittsburgh in 1921.

One of the first sports events transmitted by television have been the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936. A year later followed the tennis tournament in Wimbledon.

 

 

Pleasure gardens

 

see also in German: Modellgeschichte ist Kulturgeschichte – paragraph:

Seit dem 6. Jahrhundert: Lustgärten

 

For primeval times gardens are models: images or drafts of “paradise" or images or drafts of the “world”. Derek Clifford (1962, 16) states: „It is a world made to our own measure."

 

Starting from the 7th century AD we know of generously equipped pond gardens in Japan, sketched after Chinese model and serving as pleasure gardens for wealthy and mostly noble owners. Often they were miniature reproductions of the world at that time.

 

The Sassanide King Chosru I. (or Chosros I.; ca. 570) is said to have had marvelous gardens around his pleasure castles in Persia (Hans Sarkowicz 1998).

 

In the Arab culture (also in Spain under the Moors) we find at the same time the shaping of gardens with flowers, trees and bushes as well as with colored tiles, ponds and fountains. Today still impressing is the garden „Generalife" in Granada, probably put on before 1250 (Germain Bazin 1988).

 

In his “Roman de la Rose”, written around 1230, Guillaume de Lorris describes a dream garden, „the garden of pleasure". His work was finished 40 years later by Jean de Meun. In the 15th century it was richly illustrated several times.

 

Since that time gardens were described again and again by:

Jean de Garlande (around 1230)

Albertus Magnus (“de Vegetabilibus” 1257)

Pietro de Crescenzi (“Ruralia commoda", 1306)

Giovanni Bocciaccio in the Third day of the “Decameron" (1348)

“Le Ménagier de Paris” (1393)

Leon Battista Alberti (“De re aedificatoria”, 1450/60)

Francesco Colonna (“Hypnerotomachia Poliphili“, 1467/99).

 

The first German book concerning „Pleasure gardens and planting "appeared 1530 with Egenolff in Strasbourg and with Steiner in Augsburg. Of large impact was the book „Tutti l'opera architecttura” of Sebastiano Serlio (1537-1547).

 

Since 1494 beautifully arranged gardens according certain patterns were called “knot gardens”, since 1579 in French “parterres”.

 

Since 1660 many „pleasure gardens“ have been opened in London, among the first Vauxhall Gardens“ with long allées, „Cuper’s Garden“, a tea garden. and „Ranelagh Gardens“, presenting on stage the masquerade. Since 1646 a garden in Berlin besides the town castle, founded on a much older garden, holds the name „Lustgarten“; 1713 it has been rebuilt in a parade ground.

 

bibligraphy:

model: special topics - Gärten

 

 

Zoos, botanical gardens and amusement parks

 

Zoos and botanical gardens could also be regarded as collections of „samples“ (see chap. XV: Sample, specimen, guinea pig).

 

Evolved from the menagerie of the Middle Ages have zoological gardens; evolved from gardens and flower paradises of Renaissance times have botanical gardens.

 

The first amusement park opened north of Copenhagen in 1583 around a natural spring. Sone decades late it was extended to a real amusement area with rides, games and restaurant. It is still open. Temporary types of such parks are funfairs (in England) and carnivals or fairs (in the U. S.).

In 1843 at least three parks opened: the short living „Private’s“ in Ontario (soon enlarged to the „Peninsula Pleasure Grounds“) with a bowling alley, a carousel, swings and a small zoo, Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen and the first theme park of the world at the souther tip of the Isle of Wight („Blackgang Chine“).

„Sea Lion Park“ on Coney island was built around a nautical theme in in 1895; eight years later it was replaced by „Luna Park“.

 

Modern amusement or theme parks are Disneyland in California (1955 founded), later in Paris and Tokyo, Europa-Park in Germany, Mystery Park in Switzerland, Dreamworld in Australia.

 

As an extreme form of amusement parks we can regard „ghettos“ for tourists as:

·        tourism coasts as the Costa Brava of Spain, the Adriatic of Italy, the south coast of England, the Provence of France, the Red Sea coast of Egypt, Playa del Carmen of Mexico, the eastern and northern coasts of the Dominican Republic,

·        tourism islands as Oahu of Hawaii, Cancún of Mexico, St. Maarten in the Caribbean Sea, Tenerife of the Canary Islands, Mallorca of the Balearic Islands, Phuket of Thailand, Bali of the Indonesian islands.

 

Max Stemshorn speaks of the „mise-en-scène of leisure“ (2000), Isabel Mundry et al. of „magic Worlds“ (2000), Markus Wachter of „artificial worlds of leisure“ (2001), Rainer Danne et al. of „Strange Paradiese“ (2005), Oliver Helwig of „Dream Worlds“ (2007).

 

bibliography:

model: special topics – Freizeitparks