Magic Myth Mask
Introduction
If one agrees with Constant Nieuwenhuis: New Babylon
that HOMO FABER and HOMO SAPIENS predated HOMO
LUDENS,
one can admit that MASKS originated in most cultures
as a need of understanding and controlling the world rather than
a way of amusement.
MASKS have their roots in the magical-mythical thinking of
archaic cultures;
their original functions were syncretic (religious, artistic,
scientific).
Ceremonial usage of masks can be related to a belief system in most pre-civilised societies.
In ancient cultures masked dances and rituals convey power.
To the civilised modern man MASKS can induce pleasure and joy.
If you like ART, CULTURES, MASKS, then… enjoy!
REFERENCE
"mask." The Columbia Electronic
Encyclopedia.
© 1994, 2000, 2001, 2002 on Infoplease.com.
© 2002 Family Education Network.
01 Jun. 2003
<http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/ent/A0832094.html>.
“mask, cover or partial cover for the
face or head used as a disguise or protection. Masks have been worn from time
immemorial throughout the world. They are used by primitive peoples chiefly to
impersonate supernatural beings or animals in religious and magical ceremonies.
Particularly notable are the masks of W and central Africa; the wooden masks of
the Native Americans of NW North America, which sometimes represented totemic
animals; the False Face Society of the Iroquois, whose masked dancers were
thought to ward off evil spirits; and the gold and turquoise-mosaic masks of
Aztec warriors and priests. Masks have always been especially important in
drama, and their use has been continued into modern times. They are an integral
part of Japanese drama, especially of the No plays, and of Chinese temple
dramas (see Asian drama). The many masks used in ancient
Greek drama represented the character being portrayed by the actor and were
constructed to portray a fixed emotion such as grief or rage. Greek masks had
metallic mouthpieces that enhanced the resonance of an actor's voice. The use
of masks was preserved in the Roman theater, passed into the early Italian theater,
and was a characteristic device of the commedia
dell' arte. The mask was used in the miracle dramas of the Middle
Ages and appeared in the 20th cent. in the works of the German expressionist
playwrights and in Eugene O'Neill's plays The Great God Brown and Lazarus
Laughed. The making of death masks (reproduction of the face of a dead
person) is an ancient practice. Roman death masks were made of wax, and
Egyptian death masks of thin gold plate. The modern method first applies oil or
grease to the face and next a coat of plaster of paris, which is permitted to
harden and is then removed. This procedure results in a mold that is used to
cast the mask. Although a similar process was used for life masks, it often
proved dangerous to the sitter and unsatisfactory in results. Protective masks
include those used by medieval horsemen, gas masks, surgeon's masks, and masks
used in certain athletic events. See African
art; North American Native art; masque.”
See R. Sieber, Masks as Agents of Social Control (1962); J. Gregor, Masks of the World (1937, repr. 1968); A. Lommel, Masks (tr. 1972), W. Sorrell, The Other Face (1974).
http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia.html
This website features a collection of indigenous masks and related web resources.
Design, photographs and introduction by Elena Malec.
© 2003 Elena Malec. All rights reserved.
