Between life and death: on the art of mask-making

Segnini, E. (2012) Between life and death: on the art of mask-making. Canadian Review of Comparative Literature, 39(1), pp. 64-79.

Abstract

This analysis considers the theme of mask-making as illustrated in the work of James Ensor, in two plays by Fernand Crommelynck and Kido Okamoto, in a screenplay by Abel Gance and a series of sculptures by Auguste Rodin. I examine how, in all these works, the mask functions primarily as an aesthetic object, rather than as a theatrical prop, and argue that, as the theatrical potential is supplanted by an aesthetic function, the mask is associated with an act of violence and becomes a magical, ritualistic object that reflects the threshold of life and death.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Segnini, Dr Elisa
• Authors: Segnini, E.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Modern Languages and Cultures > Italian
• Journal Name: Canadian Review of Comparative Literature
• Publisher: University of Alberta Libraries
• ISSN: 1913-9659