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Creating a Female Image in the Russian and Chinese Stage Tradition in the Mid-20th Century

Creating a Female Image in the Russian and Chinese Stage Tradition in the Mid-20th Century

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Keywords: O.L. Knipper-Chekhov, Mei Lanfang, the specifics of the theater, the female image on stage, 'Secret marriage with the image', 'Moving without changing the form', theatrical art, theatrical techniques, theatrical interaction

Available in the on-line version with: 30.06.2025

To cite this article

Van Chzhunsin, Lobodanov A.P. Creating a Female Image in the Russian and Chinese Stage Tradition in the Mid-20th Century. // Theory and History of Art. 2025. N 2, p.118-144 https://doi.org/10.24412/2411-0795-2025-2-118-144.

Сreative Commons Atribiution - NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
This work is licensed under a Сreative Commons Atribiution - NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
N 2, 2025

Abstract

The article is based on the comparison of stage images created Russian and Soviet actress O.L. Knipper-Chekhov in the play "The Cherry Orchard" and the Chinese actor Mei Lanfang in the play "A Dream in the Garden". The article explores the principles of creating a female image in the Russian and Chinese stage tradition of the mid-20th century, as well as the peculiarities of theatrical and stage culture of China and the USSR of this period. The study reveals the differences in the ways the actors approach to their roles and create images according to the Russian and Chinese stage traditions. Knipper-Chekhov's principle of a 'Secret marriage to an image' and Mei Lanfang's method of 'Moving without changing shape' reflect different aspirations for 'reality' and 'beauty'. This comparative study is based on the creative potential of theatrical art images of the mid-20th century. The article focuses on the way the theatrical directions represented by the two actors understand the universal issues of theatrical art differently, as well as the way the intersection of the key principles of Russian and Chinese (more broadly, Eastern and Western) theatrical traditions leads to mutual penetration and resonance.

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