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This is somewhat strange perhaps, for Mr. Craig's diatribes are peculiarly subtle and indefinite; he tells us so well what he does not like but gives us so little information as to what we are actually to do about it that it is surprising how widespread and profound his influence has been. No doubt others in Germany and France and Russia were maturing the same ideas, perhaps subconsciously, apd they required only a suggestion to bring these ideas into consciousness and make them creative.
At all events there were a number of men in Europe during recent years who contributed extremely daring and original settings to the art theatres of their localities and who unquestionably have influenced all the modern work in this country. Among these was Adolph Appia, who largely inspired the new system of lighting which has been the most important influence on stage effects in the whole world. Certainly without the present method of lighting, which consists in subordinating the once all-powerful footlights, and substituting the softer, and far more artistic, effects to be gained from spotlights and border lights, we could
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STAGE SETTINGS95
never have achieved the beauty of the modern stage. The Fortuny system, which has grown up out of Appia's theorizings, and which uses arc lamps and colored fabrics indirectly reflected upon the stage, has certainly been the supreme factor in our modern scenic art. In order to reflect the light, instead of throwing it directly upon the characters, it is necessary for the stage to be equipped with a cyclorama, either of cloth or permanently built up of plaster, against which the light is thrown, and up-to-date stages are generally equipped with this important feature, which forms a sky background to the scene and gives added reality to the elements in the foreground.
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