The theater is a magical place where the laws of reality are violated and unusual events and amazing transformations take place. The image required for the role is created with the help of a costume, lighting and, of course, makeup. What is included in this concept and what secrets lie behind the changes in the appearance of the characters?
History of makeup
The faces of actors began to be painted in a certain way in ancient Greece. The predominant color in which theatrical make-up existed in those years was white. Antimony was also used (to highlight the eyes with black) and occasionally blush. Modern makeup is done on a fat basis. It contains lanolin, white petrolatum, beeswax, mineral dyes and special pigments. If in ancient times and in the Middle Ages the he alth of the skin was of little concern to actors who applied poisonous paints to create an image, now facial makeup is designed to do no harm or minimize it.
From Halloween to blockbuster
Based on the definition of the concept itself, makeup is the art of changing the appearance of an actor. For this, special compositions, wigs, plastic stickers are used. Makeup is also called the paints themselves used in this process. These are specially designed compositions that can be on the face for a long time without changing the color, texture and density of the overlay.
If you decide to create an unusual image for Halloween, you can easily find on sale the so-called face painting - water-based paints that are applied with a brush and easily washed off. This is the simplest option, so to speak, the mass market in this area. Theatrical makeup involves the use of persistent fat-based compounds.
Theater and cinema
The creation of the image will differ depending on where exactly the actor is involved - in a play or in a television series. If, when shooting in a movie, the hero’s face can be shown in close-up, in which the smallest details are visible, then in the theater it will be necessary to highlight all his facial features in such a way that they can be distinguished from a great distance. You may also want to make the actor look like a particular character. Theatrical make-up, unlike that used in the cinema, is much sharper and more intense, and upon close examination, it can even look repulsive.
There are many directions and techniques in this art, each of which is used for a specific purpose. Professionals distinguish two main types: conditional and realistic face makeup.
Features of realistic makeup
The concept of realistic means that the created image should be as close as possible in appearance to the role being played, that issimilarity or correspondence is achieved. Depending on the tasks, realistic makeup is divided into several areas: portrait (for the role of historical characters, artists, famous personalities), national (when, for example, a European needs to play a representative of another race), age (creating the image of an older or younger person than the actor himself) and characteristic (based on knowledge of physiognomy and creates an instant impression of the character's character). Each option has its own palette.
Theatrical makeup, called conditional, is used to work out simple and understandable images and often focuses on highlighting one part of the face. These can be images of Pinocchio, Baba Yaga, Pierrot and others. To create such images, in addition to paints, liquid latex is used - a substance that dries quickly on the skin and becomes elastic, so you can give it the desired shape. At the same time, latex is similar in color to human skin. When plastic makeup is used, the theatrical image is especially realistic.
Subtleties of the profession
The work of a make-up artist is not limited to the banal application of paints. Any makeup artist should know the basics of anatomy and the structure of the face - for example, when drawing wrinkles, you need to do them exactly in the places where they should be physiologically. It is also necessary to know the laws of distribution of light and shadow and take them into account when creating an image so that the stage lighting does not blur, or vice versa, does not coarsen the actor's face.
It is important to know the featurescolor palette on the basis of which the makeup is created. A theatrical make-up artist is aware of how paint works – light tones visually enlarge, thicken and bring the objects they highlight, and dark tones narrow, thin, visually remove the object. The classic palette consists of 12 primary colors - white, black, blue, green, red, cormorant, ocher and skin tones - light beige, light brown, brown, natural and tan. In a professional make-up artist's work case, you can find tubes of gold or silver paint, multi-colored body art pencils and much more, because each next look can be unpredictable.
Let there be light! What will it be like?
An important point in the work of a theatrical make-up artist is to take into account the color shades of stage lighting. Professional make-up artists constantly consult with stage workers before taking up paint. Depending on how the scenery changes, the saturation and color of the stage lighting varies, from bright to twilight, from pale blue to bright red. Professional makeup takes into account all these points when creating the image of the hero. Red lighting will highlight eye make-up and make faces look pale, green lighting will give a dead look, and blue lighting will cast a purple tint.
Applying makeup is a fascinating creative process, the result of which is always unique and inimitable. This art is at the intersection of anatomy, painting and sculpture and does not cease to develop day by day.
