First critical exploration of the history and endurance of masks in horror cinema Written by an established , award-winning author with a strong reputation for research in both academia and horror fans Interdisciplinary study that incorporates not only horror studies and cinema studies, but also utilises performance studies, anthropology, Gothic studies, literary studies and folklore studies.
"John Emigh and Lesley K. Ferris explore the role of masks in theater, whose roots lie in ritual performance. Cara McCarty looks at the ways in which masks are featured in the medium of film as well. But these artistic examples are not the only masks found in industrial societies. McCarty also discusses the proliferation of masks for physical protection, in areas such as military combat, sports competitions, and space exploration."--BOOK JACKET.
For at least 20,000 years, masking has been a mark of cultural evolution and an indication of magical-religious sophistication in society. This book provides a comprehensive understanding of the mask as a powerful cultural phenomenon--a means by which human groupings attempted to communicate their dignity and sense of purpose, as well as establish a continuum between the natural and supernatural worlds. It addresses the distinctive environments within which masks flourished, and analyzes the mask as a manifestation of art, ethnology and anthropology.
A cultural history of the face in Western art, ranging from portraiture in painting and photography to film, theater, and mass media This fascinating book presents the first cultural history and anthropology of the face across centuries, continents, and media. Ranging from funerary masks and masks in drama to the figural work of contemporary artists including Cindy Sherman and Nam June Paik, renowned art historian Hans Belting emphasizes that while the face plays a critical role in human communication, it defies attempts at visual representation. Belting divides his book into three parts: faces as masks of the self, portraiture as a constantly evolving mask in Western culture, and the fate of the face in the age of mass media. Referencing a vast array of sources, Belting's insights draw on art history, philosophy, theories of visual culture, and cognitive science. He demonstrates that Western efforts to portray the face have repeatedly failed, even with the developments of new media such as photography and film, which promise ever-greater degrees of verisimilitude. In spite of sitting at the heart of human expression, the face resists possession, and creative endeavors to capture it inevitably result in masks—hollow signifiers of the humanity they're meant to embody. From creations by Van Eyck and August Sander to works by Francis Bacon, Ingmar Bergman, and Chuck Close, Face and Mask takes a remarkable look at how, through the centuries, the physical visage has inspired and evaded artistic interpretation.
Prepare your little readers for the new normal with this interactive lift-the-flap book that reveals the familiar and friendly faces behind personal protection masks. In the morning I pick out a mask to wear. Today is a perfect day to be a dragon. What sound do dragons make under their masks? Roar! This lift-the-flap book combines imaginative play and health safety, and leads you and your child through a busy day wearing masks. Follow the life of a mask from when you pick out a mask in the morning; to school where your teacher wears a mask; and to the end of the day when you wash your mask clean. Each page features colorful and exciting masks that you can lift to discover a familiar face! Who's behind that unicorn mask? Your best friend! And who's behind the mask with teddy bears on it? Your doctor, of course! This interactive book, paired with illustrator Junissa Bianda's bright, comforting art, will alleviate little ones' anxieties and fears of masks. Help kids get used to masks at their own pace, and in the safety of their own space.
Masks or Faces? : A Study in the Psychology of Acting by William Archer, first published in 1888, is a rare manuscript, the original residing in one of the great libraries of the world. This book is a reproduction of that original, which has been scanned and cleaned by state-of-the-art publishing tools for better readability and enhanced appreciation. Restoration Editors' mission is to bring long out of print manuscripts back to life. Some smudges, annotations or unclear text may still exist, due to permanent damage to the original work. We believe the literary significance of the text justifies offering this reproduction, allowing a new generation to appreciate it.
Drawing on previously unpublished sources, this groundbreaking biography of Robert Schumann sheds new light on the great composer’s life and work. With the rigorous research of a scholar and the eloquent prose of a novelist, Judith Chernaik takes us into Schumann’s nineteenth-century Romantic milieu, where he wore many “masks” that gave voice to each corner of his soul. The son of a book publisher, he infused his pieces with literary ideas. He was passionately original but worshipped the past: Bach and Beethoven, Shakespeare and Byron. He believed in artistic freedom but struggled with constraints of form. His courtship and marriage to the brilliant pianist Clara Wieck—against her father’s wishes—is one of the great musical love stories of all time. Chernaik freshly explores his troubled relations with fellow composers Mendelssohn and Chopin, and the full medical diary—long withheld—from the Endenich asylum where he spent his final years enables her to look anew at the mystery of his early death. By turns tragic and transcendent, Schumann shows how this extraordinary artist turned his tumultuous life into music that speaks directly—and timelessly—to the heart.
