SYMONS ARTHUR - Studies in Seven Arts

7/27/2019 SYMONS ARTHUR - Studies in Seven Arts

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SYMONS, Arthur

1906 Studies in seven arts. London; Archibald Constable and Compan,Lda!

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A ne( art o) the sta*e

+n the remarable e-periments o) Mr! .ordon Crai*, + seem to see the su**estion o)

a ne( art o) the sta*e, an art no lon*er realistic, but con/entional, no lon*er imitati/e,

but smbolical! +n Mr! Crai*s sta*in* there is the incalculable element, the element

that comes o) itsel), and cannot be coa-ed into comin*! ut in (hat is incalculable

there ma be e2ual parts o) inspiration and o) accident! 3o( much, in Mr! Crai*s

sta*in*, is inspiration, ho( much is accident4 5hat is, a)ter all, the important

2uestion!

Mr! Crai*, it is certain, has a *enius )or line, )or no/el e))ects o) line! 3is line is

entirel his o(n ; he (ors in s2uares and strai*ht lines, hardl e/er in cur/es! 3e

drapes the sta*e into a s2uare (ith cloths ;

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he di/ides these cloths b /ertical lines, carrin* the ee strai*ht up to an immense

hei*ht, )i-in* it into a ri*id attention! 3e sets s2uares o) pattern and structure on the

sta*e ; he )orms his *roups into irre*ular s2uares, and sets them mo/in* in strai*ht

lines, (hich double on themsel/es lie the t(o arms o) a compass ; he puts s2uare

patterns on the dresses, and drapes the arms (ith ribbons that han* to the *round,

and mae almost a s2uare o) the bod (hen the arms are held out at ri*ht an*les!

3e pre)ers *estures that ha/e no cur/es in them ; the arms held strai*ht up, orstrai*ht )or(ard, or strai*ht out side(as!

3e lies the act o) neelin*, in (hich the bod is bent into a sharp an*le ; he lies a

sudden sprin* to the )eet, (ith the arms held strai*ht up! 3e lins his *roups b an

arran*ement o) poles and ribbons, somethin* in the manner o) a mapole ; each

)i*ure is held to the centre b a ti*htl stretched line lie the spoe o) a (heel! 7/en

(hen, as in this case, the pattern )orms into a circle, the circle is se*mented b

strai*ht lines!

5his se/ere treatment o) line *i

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breadth and di*nit to (hat mi*ht other(ise

be merel )antastic! Mr! Crai* is

happiest (hen he can pla at childrens

*ames (ith his )i*ures, as in almost the

(hole o) c 5he Mas2ue o) Lo/e 8hen he

is entirel his o(n master, not dependent

on an ind o) realit, he in/ents reall

lie a child, and his )air%tale comes ri*ht,

because it is not tied b an *ro(n%up

lo*ic! 5hen his li/in* desi*n is lie an

arabes2ue (ithin strict limits, held in )rom

(anderin* and losin* itsel) b those s2uare

lines (hich rim it implacabl round!

5hen, a*ain, his e))ects are produced

simpl! Most o) the costumes in 5he

Mas2ue o) Lo/e (ere made o) sacin*,

stitched rou*hl to*ether!


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to accept it! 5he ee rebounds, so to

spea, )rom this can/as as real as (ood,

this (ood as real as (ater, this (ater (hich

is actual (ater! Mr! Crai* aims at tain*

us beond realit ; he replaces the pattern

o) the thin* itsel) b the pattern (hich

that thin* e/oes in his mind, the smbol

o) the thin*! As, in con/entional art, the

artist unpics the structure o) the rose to

build up a mental ima*e o) the rose, in

some )ormal pattern (hich his brain maes

o/er a*ain, lie a ne( creation )rom the

be*innin*, a ne( or*anism, so, in this ne(

con/ention o) the sta*e, a plain cloth,

modulated b li*ht, can stand )or space

or )or limit, ma be the ti*ht (alls o) a

tent or the s and the clouds! 5he ee

loses itsel) amon* these se/ere, precise, and

et msterious lines and sur)aces ; the mind

is easil at home in them ; it accepts them

as readil as it accepts the con/ention b

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(hich, in a poetical pla, men spea in

/erse rather than in prose!

Success, o) course, in this )orm o) art liesin the per)ectin* o) its emotional e-pressi/eness!

7/en et Mr! Crai* has not done

much more, perhaps, than indicate (hat

ma be done (ith the material (hich he

)inds in his hands! :or instance, the

ob/ious criticism upon his mountin* o)

Acis and .alatea

is, that he has mounted

a pastoral, and put nothin* pastoral into


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his mountin*! And this criticism is partl

@ust! Yet there are parts, especiall the

end o) Act +!, (here he has per)ectl

achie/ed the renderin* o) pastoral )eelin*

accordin* to his o(n con/ention! 5he tent

is there (ith its s2uare (alls, not a *limpse

o) meado( or s comes into the se/ere

desi*n, and et, as the nmphs in their

strai*ht dresses and strai*ht ribbons lie

bac lau*hin* on the *round, and the

children, (ith their little modern bro(n

stra( hats, toss paper roses amon* them,

and the coloured balloons "(hich ou ma

bu in the street )or a penn' are tossed

into the air, carrin* the ee up(ard, as

i) it sa( the (ind chasin* the clouds, ou

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)eel the actual sensation o) a pastoral scene,

o) countr @o, o) the sprin* and the open

air, as no tricle o) real (ater in a trou*h,

no shea/es o) real corn amon* painted trees,

no imitation o) a )lushed s on can/as,

could tric ou into )eelin* it! 5he ima*ination

has been cau*ht ; a su**estion has

been *i/en (hich stries strai*ht to thener/es o) deli*ht

; and be sure those

ner/es, that ima*ination, (ill do the rest,

better, more e))ectuall, than the deliberate

assent o) the ees to an imitation o) natural

appearances!

5ae a*ain some o) those dra(in*s o)

sta*e scener (hich (e ha/e not et been


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abe to see realised, the decoration )or

3o)mannsthals 7letra and ?enice Breser/ed,

and )or 3amlet and )or 5he

Mas2ue o) London 7/er(here a (ild

and e-2uisite scenic ima*ination builds up

shado( structures (hich seem to ha/e

arisen b some stran*e haard, and to the

sound o) an un)amiliar music, and (hich

are o)ten literall lie music in the cadences

o) their desi*n! All ha/e di*nit, remoteness,

/astness ; a sense o) mster, an

actual emotion in their lines and )aint

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colours! 5here is poetr in this bare prose

)rame(or o) sta*e properties, a 2ualit o)

*race (hich is almost e/asi/e, and seems to

point out ne( possibilities o) drama, as it

pro/ides ne(, scarcel hoped )or, possibilities

to the dramatist!

5ae, )or instance, 5he Mas2ue o)

London! +t is Biranesi, and it is London

o) to%da, seen in lineal /ision, and it is

a desi*n, not merel on paper, but built up

de)initel bet(een the (in*s o) the sta*e!

+t is a /ast sca))oldin*, risin* out o) ruins,and ascendin* to topplin* hei*hts ; all its

cra shapes seem to lean o/er in the air,

and at inter/als a little (ear bein* climbs

(ith obscure patience! +n one o) the

3amlet

dra(in*s (e see the room in the

castle at 7lsinore into (hich Ophelia is to

come (ith her be(ildered sin*in* ; and the

room (aits, tall, /a*ue, e-2uisitel still and


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stran*e, a *hostl room, prepared )or beaut

and madness! 5here is another room, (ith

tall doors and (indo(s and abrupt pools o)

li*ht on the )loor; and another, (ith its

si*ni)icant shado(s, its t(o eni*matic

)i*ures, in (hich a drama o) Maeterlinc

mi*ht )ind its o(n atmosphere a(aitin* it!

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And in et another all is *esture ; (alls,

hal)%opened doors, hal)%seen (indo(s, the

huddled people at a door(a, and a tall

)i*ure o) a (oman raised up hi the )ore*round,

(ho seems to motion to them

/ehementl! Colour co%operates (ith line

in e))ects o) rich and et delicate /a*ueness

; there are al(as the lon*, strai*ht

lines, the sense o) hei*ht and space, the

bare sur)aces, the subtle, si*ni)icant

shado(s, out o) (hich Mr! Crai* has lon*

since learned to e/oe sta*e pictures more

beauti)ul and more su**esti/e than an

that ha/e been seen on the sta*e in our

time!

5he (hole sta*e art o) Mr! Crai* is a

protest a*ainst realism, and it is to realismthat (e o(e (hate/er is most conspicuousl

bad in the mountin* o) plas at the present

da! 8a*ner did some o) the harm; )or

he re)used to realise some o) the necessar

limitations o) sta*e illusion, and persisted

in belie/in* that the sta*e artist could

compete success)ull (ith nature in the

production o) landscape, li*ht, and shado(!

Yet 8a*ner himsel) protested a*ainst the


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heaps o) unrealisin* detail under (hich

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Shaespeare (as buried, in his o(n time,

on the .erman sta*e, as he is buried on

the 7n*lish sta*e in our o(n! No scenepainter,

no scene%shi)ter, no limeli*ht man,

(ill e/er delude us b his moon or meado(

or mo/in* clouds or (ater! 3is business is

to aid the poets illusion, that illusion o)

beaut (hich is the chie) e-cuse )or sta*e

plas at all, (hen once (e ha/e passed

beond the

rose%pin and dirt drab in

Merediths su))icin* phrase, o) sta*e romance

and sta*e realit! 5he distinction, the incomparable

merit, o) Mr! Crai* is that

he concei/es his settin* as the poet concei/es

his drama! 5he /erse in most

Shaespearean re/i/als rebounds )rom a

baccloth o) metallic solidit ; the scener

shuts in the plaers, not upon Shaespeares

dream, but upon as nearl as

possible

real

historical bric%a%brac! 8hat

Mr! Crai* does, or (ould do i) he (ere

allo(ed to do it, is to open all sorts o)

D

ma*ic casements and to thrust bac all

inds o) real and probable limits, and to

*i/e at last a little scope )or the ima*ination

o) the pla(ri*ht (ho is also a poet!

+ do not et no( o) (hat Mr


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capable, ho( )ar he can carr his happ

natural *i)ts to(ards master! ut he has

done so much alread that + (ant to see

him doin* more ; + (ant to see him acceptin*

all the di))iculties o) his ne( art

)ranl, and *rapplin* (ith them! :or the

sta*in* o) Maeterlinc, especiall )or such

a pla as La Mort de 5inta*iles his art,

@ust as it is, (ould su))ice! 3ere are plas

(hich e-ist an(here in space, (hich e/ade

realit, (hich do all the can to become

disembodied in the /er moment in (hich

the become /isible! 5he ha/e atmosphere

(ithout localit, and that is (hat Mr! Crai*

can *i/e us so easil! ut + (ould lie

to see him sta*e an opera o) 8a*ner,

5ristan or the

Meistersin*er

e/en!

8a*ner has per)ected at areuth his o(n

conception o) (hat scener should be ; he

has done better than an one else (hat

most other sta*e%cra)tsmen ha/e been trin*

to do! 3e allo(s more than the doto con/ention, but e/en his con/ention aims

at con/incin* the ee; the dra*on o) the

in*

is as real a beast as 8a*ner could

in/ent in his competition (ith natures in/ention

o) the snae and the crocodile!

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ut there are those (ho pre)er 8a*ners

music in the concert%room to 8a*ners

music e/en at areuth! o ou remember the sta*e

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directions4 +n the )irst act the *limpse,

throu*h the *lass (indo(s o) the conser/ator,

o) a *loom )@ord landscape, /eiled b

stead rain

; in the second D the mist still

lies hea/ o/er the landscape


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; in the third

the lamp burnin* on the table, the darness

outside, the )aint *lo( )rom the con)la*ration

And al(as

D the room as be)ore

8hat mi*ht not Mr! Crai* do (ith that

room F 8hat, precisel, + do not no( ;

but + am sure that his method is capable o)

an e-tension (hich (ill tae in that room,

and, i) it can tae in that room, it can tae

in all o) modern li)e (hich is o) importance

to the pla(ri*ht!

ii

Most people be*in (ith theor, and *o

on, i) the *o on, to carr their theor into

practice! Mr! .ordon Crai* has done a

better thin*, and, ha/in* be*un b creatin*

a ne( art o) the sta*e on the actual boards

o) the theatre, has )ollo(ed up his practical

demonstration b a boo o) theor, in (hich

he e-plains (hat he has done, tellin* us also

(hat he hopes to do! 5he Art o) the

A N78 A5 O: 537 S5A.7 #61

5heatre is a little boo, hardl more than

a pamphlet, but e/er pa*e is )ull o) ori*inal

thou*ht!


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beaut o) li)e can be un)olded, and not onl

the e-ternal beaut o) the (orld, but the

inner beaut and meanin* o) li)e 3e

(ould mae the theatre a temple in (hich

a continual ceremon un)olds and proclaims

the beaut o) li)e, and, lie the churches o)

other reli*ions, it is to be, not )or the )e(,

but )or the people! 5he art o) the theatre

is to be neither actin* nor the pla, it is

not scene nor dance, but it consists o) all

the elements o) (hich these thin*s are

composed G action, (hich is the /er spirit

o) actin* ; (ords, (hich are the bod o) the

pla ; line and colour, (hich are the /er

heart o) the scene ; rhthm, (hich is the

/er essence o) dance! 5he art o) the

theatre is addressed in the )irst place to the

ees, and the )irst dramatist spoe throu*h

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poetic action, (hich is dance, or prose

action, (hich is *esture +n the modern

theatre a pla is no lon*er a balance o)

actions, (ords, dance and scene, but it is

either all (ords or all scene! 5he businesso) the sta*e director, (ho is to be the artist

o) the theatre, is to brin* bac the theatre

to its true purpose! 3e be*ins b tain*

the dramatists pla, and sets himsel) to

interpret it /isibl on the boards! 3e

reads it and *ets his *eneral impression ;

he )irst o) all chooses certain colours,

(hich seem to him to be in harmon (ith

the spirit o) the pla, re@ectin* other colours


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as out o) tune! 3e then (ea/es into a

pattern certain ob@ects an arch, a )ountain,

a balcon, a bed usin* the chosen

ob@ect as the centre o) his desi*n! 5hen he

adds to this all the ob@ects (hich are mentioned

in the pla, and (hich are necessar

to be seen! 5o these he adds, one b one,

each character (hich appears in the pla,

and *raduall each mo/ement o) each character,

and each costume! ! ! ! 8hile this

pattern )or the ee is bein* de/ised, the

desi*ner is bein* *uided as much b the

sound o) the /erse or prose as b the sense

A N78 A5 O: 537 S5A.7 #6#

or spirit At the )irst rehearsal the actors

are all in their sta*e dresses, and ha/e all

learned their (ords! 5he picture is there ;

the sta*e director then li*hts his picture!

3e then sets it in motion, teachin* each

actor to mo/e across our si*ht in a certain

(a, passin* to a certain point, in a certain

li*ht, his head at a certain an*le, his ees,

his )eet, his (hole bod in tune (ith the

pla 5he pla is then read to be*in, (e

ma suppose 4 no means! 5here (illnot be an pla sas the sta*e director

to the sheep%lie pla*oer (ho has been

meel dri)tin* (ith the current o) dialo*ue,

D there (ill not be an pla in the sense in

(hich ou use the (ord! 8hen he is

told,

the theatre has become a masterpiece

o) mechanism, (hen it has in/ented a techni2ue,

it (ill (ithout an e))ort de/elop a


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creati/e art o) its o(n And that art is to

be created out o) three thin*s, the three

bare necessities o) the sta*e G action, scene

and /oice! action is meant both *esture

and dancin*, the prose and poetr o)

action

; b scene,

all (hich comes be)ore

the ee, such as the li*htin*, costume, as

(ell as the scener

; b /oice,

the spoen

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(ord or the (ord (hich is sun*, in contradiction

to the (ord (hich is read ; )or the

(ord (ritten to be spoen and the (ord

(ritten to be read are t(o entirel di))erent

thin*s


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art,

b means o) thin*s that do not possess

li)e until the artist has touched them

G this

also (ill hardl be denied! 5his /isible

creation o) li)e is "until the (ords come into

it' lie a picture, and it is made in the

spirit o) the painter, (ho )ails e2uall i) in

his picture he departs )rom li)e, or i) he but

A N78 A5 O: 537 S5A.7 #6

imitates (ithout interpretin* it! ut is it

not, a)ter all, throu*h its po(er o) addin*

the li)e o) speech to the li)e o) motion that

the theatre attains its )ull per)ection 4 Can

that per)ection be attained b limitin* its

scope to (hat must remain its onl materials

to (or (ith G action, scene and /oice 4

5he 2uestion is this G (hether the theatre

is the in/ention o) the dramatist, and o) use

onl in so )ar as it interprets his creati/e

(or ; or (hether the dramatist is the in/ention

o) the theatre, (hich has made him

)or its o(n ends, and (ill be able, (hen it

has (holl achie/ed its mechanism, to dispense

(ith him alto*ether, e-cept perhapsas a ind o) prompter! And the cru- o)

the 2uestion is this G that to the supreme

critic o) literature, to Charles Lamb, a pla

o) Shaespeare,

Lear or 3amlet seems

too *reat )or the sta*e, so that (hen acted

it loses the rarest part o) its ma*ic ; (hile

to the ideal sta*e%director, to Mr! .ordon

Crai*,


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3amlet should not be acted because

it is not so calculated )or the theatre that

it depends )or its ultimate achie/ement on

*esture, scene, costume, and all that the

theatre has to o))er ; not, that is, that it is

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*reater or less in its art, but that it is di))erent!

+) (e are content to belie/e both,

each )rom his o(n point o) /ie(, is it not

Crai* (ho (ill seem the more lo*ical 4 )or

(h, it (ill be ased, should the *reatest

dramatist o) the (orld ha/e produced his

*reatest (or under an illusion, that is )or

actin* 4 8h should all the /ital drama o)

the (orld, the onl drama that is /ital as

literature, ha/e been thus produced4 +)

all this has indeed been produced under an

illusion, and in the )ace o) nature, ho( in/aluable

must such an illusion be, and ho(

care)ul should (e be to re)rain )rom destroin*

an o) its po(er o/er the mind F

An illusion is one thin*, a compromise is

another, and e/er art is made up in part o)

more and more in*enious compromises! 5he

sculptor, (ho (ors in the round, and in/isible competition (ith the )orms o) li)e,

has to allo( )or the trics o) the ee! 3e

trics the ee that he ma su**est, beond

the literal contour, the mo/ement o) muscle

and the actual passa*e o) blood under the

sin, the momentar creasin* o) )lesh ; and

he balances his hollo(s and bosses that he

ma su**est the pla o) air about li/in*

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)lesh G all his compromises are (ith )act, to

attain li)e! Ma not the art o) the dramatist

be in lie manner a compromise (ith

the lo*ic o) his mechanism, a deliberate and

praise(orth t(istin* o) ends into means4

5he end o) techni2ue is not in itsel), but in

its ser/ice to the artist ; and the techni2ue,

(hich Mr! Crai* (ould end (ith, mi*ht,

i) it (ere carried out, be utilised b the

dramatist to his o(n incalculable ad/anta*e!

190=, 1906!

SYMONS ARTHUR - Studies in Seven Arts

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