The first look we need to create is a body paint based on a culture. I’ve chosen to do a look based on the carnival in Venice because I think the costumes and masks are interesting. I’m going to research the history of the Carnival and I’ll also research 2 different body paint artists sop that I can see how different people have careers in that part of the industry. I’ll also look at the types of body and face paints so I can choose products that will work best for the look I’m doing.
Culture Research
History of the Venice Carnival
The Venice Carnival began in 1162 after the Venice Republic claimed victory over Ulrich II, Patriarch of Aquileia, a province near Venice. The people of Venice gathered in San Marco to celebrate the victory. Ulrich II was captured by the Venetians and when released by the pope, had to annually give the people of Venice a bull, 12 pigs and 300 loaves of bread. This was celebrated every year until 1797 when the carnival was banned by Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor because he believed masked political enemies were planning on overthrowing him. In the 19th century, some people took part in the celebrations privately, but there weren’t any festivals on the streets like there was before. In 1979, the government brought back the Carnival reconnect the city with it’s culture and history. This helped grow the city’s tourism industry and now the carnival gets visitors from all over the world. Nowadays, the Carnival is celebrated in the 2 weeks before Lent.
References:
https://www.veniceevents.com/what-is-the-venice-carnival
https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/history-of-venice-carnival
Venetian Masks
Masks have been worn in Venice all year round since the 13th century as a way to hide people’s identity, making them equal despite of class and also to escape prosecution when committing crimes. In the 18th century, heavy restrictions were put on masks and they were only worn from December 26th till Shrove Tuesday, the last day of the carnival. Masks were also worn in ceremonies, such as when ambassadors came for the five ritual banquets.
There are different types of Venetian masks, each with different history and significance. Some are based on characters from the Commedia dell’Arte, a popular form of theatre in Italian history. Now, the masks are worn to honour the history and aren’t specifically worn to fit the character.
Columbina
A character in the Commedia dell’Arte. In the plays, Columbina is a servant to and the lover of Arlecchino and would wear patched clothes as a symbol of her low status.
The Columbina mask is a half mask around the eyes, usually tied around the wearer’s head with a ribbon or held up by a stick. It’s usually painted silver or gold and is decorated with jewels, feathers and various fabrics.
Arlecchino
Also called the Harlequin or the Jester, the Arlecchino mask also comes from a Commedia dell’Arte character of the same name. Arlecchino is a comic relief character, often portrayed as a servant or clown. In plays, he is always getting into trouble and is shown to be stupid and clumsy.
The traditional arlecchino mask has a pug-like nose, a bump on the forehead and animal or devil-like features. Newer arlecchino masks have a white base and a diamond pattern, usually in red, green and blue to match the patchwork costume worn by the character.
Pulcinella
Pulcinella was a character in the Commedia dell’Arte that was a simple servant in earlier portrayals, but later became a sly and intelligent thief.
The mask covers the upper part of the face and a hooked nose that somewhat resembles a chicken’s beak, referencing the latin origins of his name ‘pullus gallinaceus’ meaning ‘young chick’. This character was likely the origin of ‘Punch’ from the British puppet theatre ‘Punch and Judy’.
Pierrot
Pierrot, originally called Pierdolino, is another Commedia dell’Arte stock character. The Pierrot mask was created in the late 16th century by Giovanni Pellesini, who played the character. Pierrot was originally portrayed as a naïve clown. In France, the character significantly changed, becoming less of a comic relief and instead being more melancholic and romantic. Fraance is also where the name changed from Pierdolino to Pierrot.
Pierrot’s costume is white and baggy with a white hat. The mask covers the whole face and is almost completely white except for a tear under one or both of its eyes.
Dottore Peste
The Doctor has many names, including Il Dottore, Dottore Balanzone, Dottor Baloardo, and The medico del la Pesta. The design of the mask and costume comes from the outfit worn by plague doctors in the middle ages.
In the Commedia dell’Arte, whether Dottore is an actual doctor or not changes depending on the play. In some portrayals, he is a lawyer and in others he is a medical doctor.
Pantalone
Pantalone was originally named ‘Magnifico’ in the Commedia. He is often portrayed as an old merchant, sometimes wealthy and sometimes poor.
There are many theories on how the name changed, one being that it came from the Venetian saint San Pantalone, or that it came from ‘piantaleoni’, which referred to Venetian merchants who set up stalls in areas conquered by Venice.
The Pantalone mask highlights the characters eyebrows and nose, and covers the face from above the mouth to the forehead. Some masks include a moustache.
Scaramuccia
Also known as Scaramouche in France and England, this character was created after The Captain lost popularity in 1680. He is a soldier who doesn’t fight much and is less arrogant than The Captain who came before him.
Tiberio Fiorilli played Scaramuccia throughout his life, making the character famous in Europe. As well as acting, Fiorilli sang and played the lute, which is why paintings of the character often included a lute.
Fiorilli’s interpretation of the character is connected to the mask, which covers the upper half of the actor’s face and had a thin, elongated nose.
Bauta
The bauta mask is one of the oldest and most well known venetian mask, its first documentation dating back to the 13th century, but it has likely been around for much longer. In the times when masks were worn all year round in Venice, both nobles and peasants would wear the mask.
Volto
Volto masks are also known as the citizen’s mask, due its use by commoners during many Venetian holidays. They were worn by both men and women and originally let the wearer eat and drink, but modern ones cover the mouth.
The volto mask is a full face mask with only holes cut out for the eyes. The base of the mask is always white which the artist decorates.
Gatto/Cat
References:
https://www.carnival-in-venice.eu/venetian-carnival-masks.html
https://www.simplymasquerade.co.uk/page_2931797.html
https://www.italymask.co.nz/About+Masks/Commedia+dellArte+Characters.html
https://www.camacana.com/en-UK/bauta-venetian-masks-history.php
https://italiancarnival.com/php/commedia-arte-scaramouche.php
Body Paint Research
Case Studies
Emma Fay
Dean Rudd