The Business Of Decoration Previous Page (75)
Most of the men working in this field in the modern manner, such as Livingston Platt, Hewlett, Simonson and Rollo Peters, seem to have chosen a middle course between realism and extreme simplicity. In their interior scenes especially they attempt a certain truth to the style or period called for by the author, but their fundamental effort seems to be directed more especially to the creation of a beautiful setting and one that will form a fitting background for the characters. Thus in Mr. Peters' settings for Mr. Arnold Daly's production of 11 Josephine " we had a collection of furniture and backgrounds definitely suggesting the Directoire period but in a manner which was extremely simple and that contained a great deal of charm. The costumes, too, were of the period, but with a certain modern note added, a very necessary modern note of surprise. So in Mr. Simonson's production of Tolstoy's " The Power of Darkness," where a miserable peasant interior is provided and very primitive, definitely peasant costumes, there was still a certain beauty of color and design. It is only in the purely fantastic productions, such as " Pierre Patelin " given by the Washington Square Players and " The Man Who Married a Dumb
Page 92a
This stage setting was executed for the third act of " The New York Idea." It represents a man's room, done in striped blue and tan wall paper, with chintz hangings and chintz and velvet covered furniture.
Page 92b
The play for which this setting was designed required no change of scene and the structure could, therefore, be placed permanently on the stage. The style is that of the Italian Renaissance.
Page 93
STAGE SETTINGS93
Wife " produced in this country by Granville Barker, and " Sumurun " brought over a few years ago by Reinhardt, that the modern designers seem to have abandoned themselves to a sheer orgy of color, and the creation of beauty only, regardless of all else, except again a general conformity to the period of the play.
The Business Of Decoration Next Page - (77)
Bed In A Bag Sets Books - The Business Of Decoration
