While reviewing my list of previous generalizations, i came upon another question to research. I believe it is obvious that since pantomime is communication without words, that mimes do not speak while performing. However, after flipping through the book Apostles of Silence by the author Mira Felner, i discovered that this misconception may not necessarily be completely true. Felner writes, " In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, it was labeled as a mute art, but much controversy exists over the necessity of silence. An examination of mimes both past and present reveals that mime was and is not always silent. In fact, the Greeks, Romans, and the Commedia all used language in their performances (18)". She goes on to write, "Even for those to who mime is a silent art form, it may not necessarily be an art of silence. Music and sound effects have often been an integral part of the mime performance (18)". So, contrary to popular belief, not all miming is a silent performance. Rather, they incorporate some occasional words, music, and sound effects to deepen their performance and to get the audience to connect with the performance on a different level. By adding other sounds in with their act, we gain a further understanding of what they are trying to communicate and portray to the public.
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I love your topic! It is very original and i find it very interesting! I agree with all of your generalizations but then you disproved some with your last post. Why then are mimes always portrayed as silent? Also, why are they usually a source of comedy. Mimes are constantly being made fun of in movies, i.e. Euro Trip, but why doesnt anyone ever take them seriously? Is what they do just a hobby or is their true personality and individualism coming out? You talked about what they wore. Are they in any way "related" to the clown? The similarities being the makeup, costume, and the red circles on the cheeks. Its just a random thought that popped into my head!
ReplyDeleteI want to know who draw those pictures. Those pictures are very creative. A picture contains thousands of words. I like the visual art better. When I first read your blog, I would like to see your picture first. I think if you can put more effort to the picture. That can increase my interest of continue reading it. This article put lots of thought in it. I can see you use some mental process to it. I like the dialogue in that picture. It is the general example of silent art. I read some comic book and I enjoy those silent arts. You have many psychological thought the aesthetic of mute art. Good job, good work.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the good feedback :) I plan on researching further into the books I checked out from the library to answer some of your questions, such as why they are generally portrayed as silent. It is true that they seem to generally be made fun of in recent times, however past generations considered the mime to be a revered street performer. Perhaps, with the growing technological entertainment of modern times, simple entertainment, like the mime, is less appreciated. For example, plays at theater houses used to be high entertainment, nowadays people are far more likely to go see a movie instead of a production with live actors. Maybe the same goes for the art of miming, they are still around just less popular and less understood. People create art to express themselves and at times it can be an outlet to express how we really feel. It is a piece of us, so I believe that when Mimes perform, they are expressing themselves as individuals along with taking part in something that they enjoy, which could be considered a hobby. As to if the mime and clown can be considered technically related, I was unsure myself. Maybe this video will help.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you like the cartoons, and that they get the point across. I will definately add more pictures, and original pictures to my blog later on to make it more interesting.
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