Visual Experiences in Cinquecento Theatrical Spaces

Author / Creator

Berzal de Dios, Jimena, author

Available as

Online

Summary

Through an interdisciplinary examination of sixteenth-century theatrical spaces, Visual Experiences in Cinquecento Theatrical Spaces studies the performative aspects of the early modern stage, payi...

Through an interdisciplinary examination of sixteenth-century theatrical spaces, Visual Experiences in Cinquecento Theatrical Spaces studies the performative aspects of the early modern stage, paying special attention to the overlooked complexities of audience experience. Examining the period's philosophical and aesthetic ideas about space, place, and setting, the book shows how artists consciously moved away from traditional representations of real spaces on stages to conjure spectacles that pushed their collective audiences towards more imaginative, collaborative engagements no longer tethered to strict definitions of naturalism. In this way, Visual Experiences breaks with traditional interpretations of early modern staging techniques, arguing that the goal of early modern artists was not the creation of a naturalistically unified stage constructed for a single, privileged viewer, but rather a complex multimedia experience addressing a diverse set of viewers. In stressing the wider scenographic possibilities of the sixteenth-century stage, the book focuses on how space created various modes of audience engagement.

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