Colour Theory For Emcee

When I think of Emcee, some of the words which come to mind are:

• Defiant- He does not care that his behaviour on stage is controversial, in fact, he seems to revel in it... Defying what is expected by society
• Oppressed- I think outside of work, society in Weimar Berlin would be an oppressive influence on a personality like Emcee and his defiant attitude in work is a response to this; in character whilst hosting at the Kit Kat Klub he can be as overtly sexual as he desires, contrasting with the more reserved persona he would have to adopt in his daily life
• Lusty- This is the trait we see most in Emcee and I would like to avoid portraying him this way as I feel it has been done
• Exuberant- Emcee is a high energy character on stage and is often singing, dancings and cracking jokes; this could be something worth reflecting in my designs

So how does all this translate into colour theory?

Red is commonly associated with the theme of defiance and in her book 'If It's Purple, Someone's Gonna Die', Patti Bellantoni discusses the significance of James Dean's red jacket in 'Rebel Without A Cause', she says:

"It's important to remember that the 1950s sensibilities kept the idea of sex under wraps and reduced it to a whisper. But that red jacket shouted not only 'sexy', it signalled danger, rage, torment and courage as well. It's the red jacket that gives the cisual power to Dean as the quintessential anti-hero"
Bellantoni, P (2005). If It's Purple, Someone's Gonna Die. Oxford: Elsevier. 13.

Whilst red is associated with defiance, we often see blue as representative of oppression; on this Bellantoni cites 'Sense and Sensibility' as an example. She says:

"Underneath the rigid rules of social behaviour in Ang Lee's interpretation of Jane Austen's novel lies a psychological world of abject powerlessness. The director very subtly allows us to feel that world- the world of the Dashwood women- by creating an environment dominated by blue. They wear blue, drink tea from blue cups and are closed in by walls that are a faded wedgewood. Even their weather is a pale grey-blue. The persistent presence of the colour provides the emotional context for their plight and influences our sympathetic response to it"

Bellantoni, P (2005). If It's Purple, Someone's Gonna Die. Oxford: Elsevier. P86. 

I find the contrast between the themes interesting and feel that they would work well as a basis for my Emcee design as he is a defiant character in a world of oppression; his character almost seems to be deliberately overt, making a mockery of the increasingly fascist society of Berlin outside the confines of the Kit Kat Klub.



Picture credit: Anon. (). Rebel Without A Cause. Available:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048545/. Last accessed 27th Nov 2014.

Presentation and Feedback

Feedback for presentation:

• Ideas are exciting but need to be evidenced
• Colour theory links are good but you need to show another point of inspiration is needed- Reference an art movement, film, text... Anything which can demonstrate the process of design
• Include some original drawings and practical experiments both in and out of studio time 

Art Movements In 1920s Germany

When the Nazis rose to power after the Weimar period, much work of great artistic value was lost. Notable art movements of the period included:

Grotesque: Depicting fantastical characters, grotesque and satirical-grotesque artwork was ppular in Weimar Germany. Notable artists of this style include Max Beckmann and Otto Dix.

Expressionism: The art of the individual, expressionism was a genre of art which depicted life from to unique perspective of it's creators; work was often warped imagery, inspired by personal emotions. This genre of art was innovated prior to the first world war and gained following en masse during the 1920s and 30s.

Cabaret and Political Satire: The rise of this art form was centered in Berlin and there are scenes at the Kit Kat Klub in the 'Cabaret' script in which Emcee is depicted as mocking the Nazis.

Surrealism: This art movement is my personal favourite and the work associated with it details the content of dreams and the illogical. The surrealist manifesto states that reason should not exercise control over art. One of the most highly regarded Surrealist painters is Salvador Dali.

The great thing about getting to write a post like this is that I can include some of my favourite artists, one of whom is Edvard Munch. Munch was a great influence on the German Expressionists and is arguably best known for his painting The Scream, which, to me, is the ultimate depiction of spiralling despair.                
                                                                                                                                 

The choice of colours in Munch's 'The Scream' could link back to my colour theory research; with blue present in the background as well as a deep orange which, though it is not quite the defiant red I reference, is still a strong colour which conflicts with the blue. Beyond Munch's use of colour, I feel that the theme of despair in 'The Scream' is fitting to the mood of Weimar Berlin but does not necessarily suit the character of Emcee. 

Moving on from Munch, one of the most influential painters in Germany at the time of the Weimar Republic was Otto Dix whose distinctive style often echoed the bleakness of the day. Having looked at the work of Dix, I find it interesting that many of the figures he painted are of androgynous appearance, as if Dix was using his work to make a point about the oppressive state of society in Berlin as the Nazis rose to power. I think Dix's admiration for the controversial figure relates back to Emcee, a deliberately controversial figure in the Cabaret story. Both the character of Emcee and the paintings of Otto Dix are engineered to make the audience think; this is more obvious in the dark matter of Dix paintings whereas Emcee is, first and foremost an entertainer and, only when we fully consider his character do we see the parallel between the two. This image by Otto Dix is 'The Jeweler Karl Krall' (1923) and depicts Krall's son of the same name with a feminine figure. Interestingly enough, Dix's androgynous portraiture did not extend to images he painted of himself; Dix's self-portraits were conspicuously masculine. I have recreated his 1913 self-portrait in class using grease based supracolour makeup.

On the left we have my version of Dix's portrait (right). I found the surpracolour paints a challenge to use as they blend very easily and by blending them too much you lose the desired effect. I feel that I could improve upon this original attempt by paying more attention to the tones Dix used in the original but practising this techniques was useful and I might consider using this in my final design if I can improve upon my skills.

Lucie-Smith, E (1991). Sexuality In Western Art. 2nd ed. London: Thames and Hudson. p144.

The above image is Egon Schiele's 'A Cardinal Embracing A Nun' (1912). Though this predates the period I was looking at, Schiele demonstrates traits which link him to the German Expressionists. This piece in particular would be considered blasphemous and is clearly intended to be controversial as the figures depicted are bound by vows of celibacy but are clearly shown rejecting these vows and succumbing to passion. I felt the colours in this work were reflective of the themes of oppression, defiance and rebellion. 

Why Do They Want It? Why Do They Want It Now?

I suppose if we are going on the theory I have created, it is reasonable to say that everybody wants freedom of expression. To be oppressed by society would take it's toll emotionally and Emcee would want this pressure to be lifted.

I think going on personal experience, we never have a more true sense of self than at the times we are not allowed to express it. The mask we present to the world in these situations contrasts with who we are inside, making us all too aware of our own façades. I suppose this makes opportunities for self-expression all the more important to Emcee, he wants the chance to show people who he truly is (a privilege most people take for granted) and his only way of achieving this is to adopt the Master of Ceremonies persona which is an enhanced, almost caricature-esque, version of himself.

I suppose this idea of Emcee could almost be compared with Drag Queens and how they build a full character to express that element of themselves.

Well known drag queen RuPaul in character and as himself

Hiramine, B. (2014). The Accidental Transphobia of 'RuPaul's Drag Race'. Available: http://flavorwire.com/446737/the-accidental-transphobia-of-rupauls-drag-race. Last accessed 24 Nov 2014.

What Do They Want?

Emcee's role is to entertain the patrons of the Kit Kat Klub and he seems to be dedicated to this. In order to really connect with the character, we must assume that there is more to him than just the host we see. 

His continually upbeat performances could well be masking an internal conflict; nobody is happy all the time and the darker facets of his character could be incorporated into his makeup. An inner sadness would suggest that his interactions with the audience are a coping mechanism; he is often seen to be making light of everything but that is not a reflection of how he feels inside. 

Weimar Berlin was a period when the Nazi Party were rising to power and homosexuality was frowned upon... Gay men would soon be severely persecuted for their preferences and if we assume that Emcee is bisexual at the very least then we can conclude that this is what he feels a deep sadness about; his time on stage at the klub could be his only outlet for expressing who he truly is. I think Emcee wants to have the same freedom of expression in his every day life that he does on stage. 

What Has Just Happened?

As previously discussed, Emcee would have entered the stage from his dressing room where he would have prepared himself to perform. It is likely that the lengthy process of applying his heavy makeup allowed him time to get into character, mentally preparing to entertain the audience disguised as a woman.

A photo depicting the contrast between the man and his drag alter-ego

Lamont-Djite, T. (2012). Drag Queens: There's One In All Of Us.Available: http://www.beautylish.com/a/vcqpi/drag-queens-theres-one-in-all-of-us. Last accessed 24 Nov 2014.

Where Have They Just Come From?

Part of the difficulty with not having an awful lot of background information for Emcee is having to come up with answers for the questions posed by Stanislavsky's Acting Technique. We don't see much of Emcee outside of The Kit Kat Klub so we can only assume that in this scene he has come onto the stage from the dressing room where he would have prepared himself in the drag costume to join the lineup of the Kit Kat Girls.

A backstage image of cabaret girls (1977)

Ellis, R. (2014). Backstage Dressing Room. Available: http://www.rennieellis.com.au/gallery/decadence/69. Last accessed 24 Nov 2014.