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Review of Josef Svoboda REVIEWS | Helena Albertová. Josef Svoboda: Scenographer Christian M. Billing | in the book) have useful visual records of settings, if it is at all possible to provide them. Review of Notwithstanding the thoroughness of Josef Svoboda: these chronological appendices, to observe that coverage of the total creative output of Scenographer by Helena Svoboda in the book as a whole is virtually Albertová. complete would certainly be true; more Praha: Divadelní ústav, 2008. 328 important, however, is the insightfulness pages. with which Albertová discusses many of the key productions, and her analysis of the development of the designer’s style. This book is a welcome addition to the Taken together, an informative and accurate existing bibliography addressing the work overarching narrative allows a picture of Josef Svoboda (1920-2002). The reasons to emerge of a meticulously thorough for this are twofold: (i) it is well written craftsman and artist, developing and then and informative, and (ii) it is the only work reworking his ideas towards perfection as currently in print (in either Czech or English) both his own skills as a scenographer and, that covers the entirety of Svoboda’s work more often, the quality of materials available – including his final designs for the Laterna to him, improved. Magika in 2002. As a result, Albertová’s One such example comes in the account volume justifiably takes its place amongst the of Svoboda’s designs for Janáček’s comic other key analytical works dealing with this opera The Excursions of Mr Brouček. In this significant figure in global scenography of opera, a respectable Prague citizen (Brouček) the twentieth century (i.e. the major studies experiences a drunken dream in which by Bablet, Burian, Berjozkin and Ptáčková). he arrives on the Moon (see also Pamela Albertová’s book is organised into five Howard’s essay in this volume, p. 292). sections, dealing respectively with Svoboda’s Svoboda’s first attempt at designing the formative years (and informal training); his setting reveals a fascinating idea hindered by development of projection techniques (in a paucity of theatrical materials: in the middle 1958 and afterwards); Svoboda’s opera and of the stage, circling spirals in the shape of ballet productions on the major stages of the constellations were made up of rather clunky world; his later collaborations (with mainly rostra. In a subsequent design of 1959 for younger practitioners); and his unfulfilled the Národní (Smetanovo) Divadlo, (National projects. The book also supplies (as one of (Smetana) Theatre) Prague, Svoboda re- two appendices) a useful chronology giving worked his original design with what was, production details for over 650 theatre at that time, a new material – hardened glass and opera designs, as well as additional laminate; from this substance he created a scenographic details of film and television revolve and two overhead gangways in the productions, designs for expositions and shape of spirals, wound against each other and audio-visual installations, and three projects offset by projections of astral space in which for major theatre buildings. The vast majority balls hung like planets. Albertová observes of designs in the chronology (as elsewhere of the latter production: ‘It is an example 270 Yorick_2011_20110828.indd 270 16.9.2011 11:03:34 REVIEWS | Helena Albertová. Josef Svoboda: Scenographer of how Svoboda returned to a vision with designer’s role within it). whose realisation he had been dissatisfied in The opening chapters of the volume set order to bring it to perfection as soon as new the context into which Svoboda emerged as techniques became available’ (94). Quite so. a creative practitioner, both personally (as a This ability to provide an overview, and result of his father’s pressures leading him to productively to juxtapose designs from train as an apprentice joiner prior to his move different periods of Svoboda’s creative output into the professional theatre), and equally is a great benefit to the reader and is a mode of in terms of the artistic climate of 1940s analysis that characterises Albertová’s work. Czechoslovakia: Socialist Realism. Whilst Comparisons are not only applied to different Albertová is keen to pay attention to the treatments of the same artistic source text, significance of this artistic school, prior to the but also to experimentations with particular death of Stalin in 1953, and to other important staging techniques (particularly projection cultural factors, her analysis of Svoboda’s and illumination) as well as to experiments designs of this early era (such as The Crown with different materials: glass, steel, Bride, Fragments from Empedocles and The plastic, wood, paint and fabric. Albertová’s Fox Trap) show forcefully the designer’s confidence as a writer who is able to address creative use of more Avant-garde left-leaning these areas comes from several great strengths schools of art and theatrical representation that are not easy to replicate: firstly, the fact (such as Constructivism and Expressionism). that she was able to see a significant amount In the early designs, however, Albertová of her subject’s output in the 1950s and 1960s is keen to point to the differences between (during a period before Svoboda’s immense surviving artistic renderings and the actuality fame in theatrical circles had been achieved of realised settings. Her knowledge of the worldwide – and during an epoch of Czech venues in which many of the early and history in which free access to domestic mid-period works took place leads her theatre venues was often impeded for not to shy away from pointing out in one western European and American academics particular instance that ‘there is […] no and theatre practitioners as a result of travel way the structure could have reached such restrictions associated with Communist an imposing height in the small concert rule). Equally, however, Albertová has a hall’ (the Smetana Museum) adding that finely honed aesthetic understanding of the ‘the design is an expression of Svoboda’s theatrical event itself, as a result of her on- energy’ (12). Designs in this section (largely going work as a faculty member of the School artist’s renderings rather than photographs, for Applied Arts at Charles University in which appear in greater profusion later in Prague and in her capacity as former director the volume) show Svoboda working through of the Czech Theatre Institute. Additionally, radical ideas with a variety of classical and she has curated several international modern texts. They constitute an impressive exhibitions of Svoboda’s work and, crucially, account of an apprenticeship, although not had a personal friendship with the designer formalised, as an experimental design student. that led to frequent travels together (and Albertová next deals with Svoboda’s rapid thus many extended conversations with her rise as a professional designer, considering subject regarding theatre in general and the in detail his treatments of two major operas: 271 Yorick_2011_20110828.indd 271 16.9.2011 11:03:34 REVIEWS | Helena Albertová. Josef Svoboda: Scenographer Otakar Ostrčil’s Kunála’s Eyes and Jacques branches almost crawled along the ground. Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann, the latter Orchard keepers supported them with of which began the long-term collaboration wooden poles, often anchoring their trunks between Svoboda and director Alfréd in cement. (22) Radok. Here, the author draws attention to further experimentations with form and Such combination of aesthetic and colour, and to Svoboda’s fascination with interpretative understanding, combined with Fauvist painting techniques. The section also an awareness of the experiential realities that contains an account of Svoboda’s interest in led to many of Svoboda’s designs is a great the Modernist preoccupation with electricity, strength of Albertová’s work. As the author with Albertová stating of Hoffmann: knows, much of Svoboda’s work was rooted in observations taken from real life, and [I]n the background was the phosphorescent his personal photographic archive of slides world of the technological future, (tens of thousands of them) were organised symbolised by an iron construction with thematically in series of: sunsets, trees, faces large electric isolators. A big transparent and so on. Other key designs dealt with tube in which flashes crossed and which capably in this formative section include: made a dominant vertical was the divide Tosca, Rigoletto, Revisor, Fidelio and Don between the two worlds of Hoffmann’s Giovanni. imagination […] (19) The mid-1950s are seen from a revisionist perspective as being a period: ‘on the Other key designs are presented in a series threshold of change’ (35). Here, Albertová of stunning colour plates (a major feature of looks back (inevitably from the pivotal year this lavishly illustrated volume), with astute of 1958) and considers the ways in which commentary including analysis of Verdi’s Radok’s new position at the National Theatre The Troubadour (a rhythmic design with allowed both he and Svoboda to reject the much owing to the work of Adolphe Appia) sometimes ostentatious display required by and Janáček’s Katya Kabanova. For the conventional opera in order to focus instead latter production, Albertová draws attention on the more stripped-down aesthetics of to Svoboda’s use of another great Modernist conventional drama. Attention is here paid symbol: the tree (cf. Yeats and Beckett). to Svoboda’s growing interest in creating Moving beyond Czech Structuralist semiotic striking proportional juxtapositions between analysis in her argument and, calling it ‘a scenic segments, and to his increasing basic and eloquent sign: […] a symbol of shattering and fragmentation of the interior. life and death, of freedom and imprisonment. Particularly attention (and visual analysis) A human retreat’ (22). The author helpfully is offered for Today the Sun Still Sets above makes use, here and throughout the volume, Atlantida, The Devil’s Circle, The Golden of Svoboda’s own recollections of his Carriage, The Autumn Garden and The settings; his remembering, in this instance, of: Entertainer.
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