Between Brueghel, Surrealism, and New Realism: Wachsman's stage design for Heavy Barbara

• Authors: Eva Šlaisová
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

In 1937, Jiří Voskovec and Jan Werich wrote and staged the play Těžká Barbora [Heavy Barbara], which was inspired by the art of Pieter Brueghel the Elder and represents a unique experiment involving dramatisation and theatricalisation of his paintings. This article focuses on Alois Wachsman's scenography for this play and explores it in relation to Brueghel's paintings; the poetics and humour of Voskovec and Werich; trends and artists of the period; Wachsman's scenography for the National Theatre; and his paintings. The study brings attention to the previously unknown fact that Wachsman created two different versions of the set design for Heavy Barbara. Both versions alluded to Brueghel; however, one was inspired by Surrealism/ Wachsman's imaginative painting, while the other accentuated the folk atmosphere of the play through its use of New Realism and New Objectivity.

Keywords

EN

Alois Wachsman; Jiří Voskovec; Jan Werich; Pieter Brueghel the Elder; Těžká Barbora; The Liberated Theatre; avant-garde; scenography; Surrealism; New Realism

Discipline

• ARTS_&_ARCHITECTURE: ARTS & ARCHITECTURE

• Publisher: Masaryk University, Faculty of Arts
• Journal: Theatralia: Revue současného myšlení o divadelní kultuře (Theatralia: The revue of contemporary thought on theatre culture)
• Year: 2022
• Volume: 25
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 109-136
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Eva Šlaisová

• Theatralia, redakce, Masarykova univerzita, Filozofická fakulta, Katedra divadelních studií, Arna Nováka 1, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic