The American Architect
Vol. CXIII
Wednesday, April 10, 1918
Number 2207
ACT i—SCENE i
By ERNEST GROS Scenery and Stage Decorations
By J. Monroe Hewlett
Color—Light—“The New Art”
THE relation between color, light and texture in a scenic setting is so intimate that these
matters should be treated and studied as a single subject. This is, I believe, the first step toward real progress in scenic art. The old notion that scene painting is an appropriate refuge for a painter of pictures who cannot paint well enough to put his pictures into frames and sell them is based upon a complete misapprehension of the requirements and methods of stage decoration. It is a fact, however, that the older scene painters have concerned themselves too exclusively with the painting and have given but little thought to the lighting and texture of their settings, and this has been one of the causes of the dissatisfaction which has led to recent novel experiments.
These experiments have for the most part been the work of aspiring novices with half-formed theories, but without any foundation of knowledge of painting, decoration, or stage traditions, or indeed of any kind of craftsmanship.
There is in America to-day one scenic designer and painter of prominence who is definitely associated with the practice of the new and more or less “revolutionary” theories in scenic art and is at the same time an artist of experience, ability and imagination, a thorough craftsman in his chosen field of work. This is Joseph Urban, whose work and methods are therefore particularly worthy of careful study. His position in scenic design is similar to that of Louis Sullivan in architecture twenty-five years ago. Both of these artists represent a spirit
Copyright, 1918, The Architectural & Building Press (Inc.)
Marouf
Vol. CXIII
Wednesday, April 10, 1918
Number 2207
ACT i—SCENE i
By ERNEST GROS Scenery and Stage Decorations
By J. Monroe Hewlett
Color—Light—“The New Art”
THE relation between color, light and texture in a scenic setting is so intimate that these
matters should be treated and studied as a single subject. This is, I believe, the first step toward real progress in scenic art. The old notion that scene painting is an appropriate refuge for a painter of pictures who cannot paint well enough to put his pictures into frames and sell them is based upon a complete misapprehension of the requirements and methods of stage decoration. It is a fact, however, that the older scene painters have concerned themselves too exclusively with the painting and have given but little thought to the lighting and texture of their settings, and this has been one of the causes of the dissatisfaction which has led to recent novel experiments.
These experiments have for the most part been the work of aspiring novices with half-formed theories, but without any foundation of knowledge of painting, decoration, or stage traditions, or indeed of any kind of craftsmanship.
There is in America to-day one scenic designer and painter of prominence who is definitely associated with the practice of the new and more or less “revolutionary” theories in scenic art and is at the same time an artist of experience, ability and imagination, a thorough craftsman in his chosen field of work. This is Joseph Urban, whose work and methods are therefore particularly worthy of careful study. His position in scenic design is similar to that of Louis Sullivan in architecture twenty-five years ago. Both of these artists represent a spirit
Copyright, 1918, The Architectural & Building Press (Inc.)
Marouf