Commedia dell'Arte

コンメディア・デッラルテ / 16th–18th century / Style / Stage Design

Italy's improvised comedy that names its characters at a glance through masks and fixed costumes. Harlequin's lozenges, Pulcinella's white — a system of visual signs endlessly quoted by art, fashion and graphics.

Leather half-masks / Harlequin's lozenge pattern / Type-defining costume / Exaggerated gesture

Commedia dell'Arte — カロ『スフェッサニアの踊り』より（CC0） — カロ『スフェッサニアの踊り』より（CC0）／カロの版画コンメディアの人物（CC0）

Commedia dell'Arte — カロの版画コンメディアの人物（CC0） — カロ『スフェッサニアの踊り』より（CC0）／カロの版画コンメディアの人物（CC0）

Dictionary entry

Best used for: Comparing primary sources and canonical works · Extracting principles that transfer to other media
Type: Observe the letters, signs and scale of reference works
Composition: Extract the one structure that governs gaze and information
Material: Verify the materials and behaviors specific to era, region and process
Caution: Don't reduce it to surface signs. Verify the context of era, region, technology and makers.
Further study: Jacques Callot's etchings / Watteau's Pierrot / quotations in Picasso and modern art

Related entries

Back to index position