. Japan, a record in colour . environment are atvariance instead of being in harmonic unity. But wein the West have not time to think of vague things,such as balance and breadth and the creating of we want is realism ; we want a sky to look like areal sky, and the moon in it to look like a real moon,even if it travels by clock-work, as it has been known todo occasionally. And so real is this clock-work moonthat we are deceived into imagining that it is the moon,the actual moon. But the deception is not pleasant; infact, it almost gives you indigestion to see a moon, andsuch a moo
. Japan, a record in colour . environment are atvariance instead of being in harmonic unity. But wein the West have not time to think of vague things,such as balance and breadth and the creating of we want is realism ; we want a sky to look like areal sky, and the moon in it to look like a real moon,even if it travels by clock-work, as it has been known todo occasionally. And so real is this clock-work moonthat we are deceived into imagining that it is the moon,the actual moon. But the deception is not pleasant; infact, it almost gives you indigestion to see a moon, andsuch a moon, careering over the whole sky in half anhour. In Japan they would not occupy themselves withmaking you believe that a moon on the stage was a realone—they would consider such false realism as a bit ofgross degradation—but they would take the greatestpossible pains as to the proper placing of that palpablypasteboard moon of theirs, even if they had to hold itup in the sky by the aid of a broom-stick. 4 WATCHING THE PLAY. Art and the Drama In Japan the scenic work of a play is handled byone man alone, and that man is the dramatic author,who is almost invariably a great artist. To him thestage is a huge canvas upon which he is to paint hispicture, and of which each actor forms a componentpart. This picture of his has to be thought out in everydetail; he has to think of his figures in relation to hisbackground, just as a Japanese architect when buildinga house or a temple takes into consideration the sur-rounding scenery, and even the trees and the hills, inorder to form a complete picture, perfect in balance andin form. When a dramatic author places his dramaupon the stage, he arranges the colour and setting ofit in obedience to his ideas of fitness, which are partlyintuitive and partly traditional. It is probably necessarythat his background should be a monotone, or arrangedin broad masses of colour, in order to balance thebrilliancy of the action, and against which the mov
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectart, bookyear1901
