The famous "Stage Yankees;" with their eccentric New England dialect comedy; entertained audiences from Boston to New Orleans; from New York to London in the years between 1825 and 1850. They provided the creative energy for the development of an American-type character in early plays of native authorship. This book examines the full range of their theatre activity; not only as actors; but also as playmakers; and re-evaluates their contribution to the growth of the American stage. Yankee theatre was not an oddity; a passing fad; or an accident of entertainment; it was an honest exploitation of the materials of American life for an audience in search of its own identification. The delineation of the American charactermdash;a full-length realistic portrait in the context of stage comedymdash;was its projected goal; and though not the only method for such delineation; the theatre form was the most popular and extensive way of disseminating the American image. The Yankee actors openly borrowed from what literary sources were available to them; but because of their special position as actors; who were required to give flesh-and-blood imitations of people for the believable acceptance of others viewing the same people about them; they were forced to draw extensively on their actors imaginations and to present the American as they saw him. If the image was too often an external one; it still revealed the Yankee as a hardy individual whose independence was a primary assumption; as a bargainer; whose techniques were more clever than Englands sharpest penny-pincher; as a country person; more intelligent; sharper and keener in dealings than the city-bred type; as an American freewheeler who always landed on top; not out of naive honesty but out of a simple perception of other human beings and their gullibility. Much new evidence in this study is based on London productions; where the view of English audiences and critics was sharply focused on what Americans thought about themselves and the new culture of democracy emerging around them. The shift from America; the borrower; to America; the original doer; can be clearly seen in this stager activity. Yankee theatre; then; is an epitome of the emerging American after the Second War for Independence. Emerging nationalism meant emerging national definition. Yankee theatre thus led to the first cohesive body of American plays; the first American actors seen in London; and to a new realistic interpretation of the American in the "character" plays of the 1870s and 1880s.
#1531142 in eBooks 2014-04-10 2014-04-10File Name: B00JNYIUUG
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Not everyone will care for his style; but the craftsmanship is simply incredible. Wonderful photos;so-so text.By lyndonbrechtLet me qualify one thing--the five stars is for the excellent quality of the very many photos in this book of this artists work. The text is a bit stiff; as seems all too common in text written by art critics and museum curators. Its readable; just dull. The text on the individual pieces is better. The book is published under the auspices of a Colorado museum.Konovalenko (1929-89) lives in the USSR; then because he was married to a Jewish woman was able to immigrate (the plan was to Israel but he decided the US was better). The detail on his personal life is brief. The most interesting story is about how he got an exhibit in Moscow; angered the Communist party boss in St Petersburg (the book does not use the name "Leningrad" although the name change came later than this event); who then pressed criminal charges over possession and use of illegal materials (used in the sculpture). That was worked out; he moved to Moscow and for a time had to create items at he request of powerful political figures. He left for the US in 1981.Konovalenko was a carver in gems; an old Russian art form; perhaps best known in the art workshops of Fabege in Tsarsist times (Faberge was Russian; despite that French name--a French ancestor settled in Russia). Konovalenkos method is different. Instead of carving from a single stone; he made drawings; sculpted a model then cut the model into a number of pieces and made the sculpture in pieces; joining them together to form the final work. He used dozens of minerals; some precious and many not; and also used cloisonneacute; technique; and silver and other materials for some of the sculptures.The sculptures in the book are primarily related to Russian history; culture and legend. Some pieces feature two or three figures; sometimes with thoroughly Russian features such as samovar and peasant clothes incredibly detailed. The figures are not in the classic mode; but rather more the look of art sketches for the theater or ballet (he sometimes worked as a set designer and related); even the comic.The sculptures are not large; maybe 5 to 9 inches typically. One illustration is thoroughly propaganda; a Red Army veteran teaching peasants how to read; but its done with simple incredible detail--a single work might have taken him six months or more. Only one has an American theme; Gold Prospectors; which as a simply amazing burro as part of the piece.Of the several dozen works show in the book; my favorites are the several Ice Fishing pieces; the Tsars Henchman (which is splendidly menacing; carrying irons for prisoners); a peasant in a barrel bath whos just run out of tea in his saucer; and a trio of pals. The work has to be seen to be believed. Amazing craftsmanship; whether you like the work or not.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Wonderful book - Great detail in the picturesBy Jj VandagriffI visited the exhibit in Colorado a few years ago and loved it. As a rock hound and Rusophile; this book was right up my alley. The pictures are stunning. The detail is easier to appreciate in the book than in real life (due to the glass cases at the museum). The writing is interesting and clear. I would definitely recommend this book!
