Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In the midst of both global and personal strife, P. Dodd Ackerman explored a new stage aesthetic at home and abroad. Newspapers would later report, “Mr. Ackerman, as early as 1912, saw the coming of the modern decorative art into the theater of this country, an art that had been in vogue for some time in Germany, Austria, Russia, and to a degree in France and Italy. Feeling that the time would come when scenic painting and theater decorations would respond to the modernist movement and, in order to be fully prepared when this movement came, he went abroad to study” (New York Tribune, 27 March 1921, page 48).
By 1920 Ackerman remarried and was on a different trajectory with new wife and young son in tow; he was becoming part of a theatre movement.
On May 1, 1921, the “New York Tribune” included an article about color theory for the stage, interviewing P. Dodd Ackerman (page 4).
“Colors Vibrate Same as Music, Designer Says” was the heading for the article.
Here is the article in its entirety:
“P. Dodd Ackerman Explains How Scenic Art is an Accessory to the Drama.
“There have been more radical changes in scenic painting for the stage in the last three years than in fifty years previous,” says P. Dodd Ackerman, who painted and designed scenery for “The Broken Wing,” now running at the Forty-eighth Street Theater.
“Where in the past color was thrown indiscriminantly on canvas and shadow lights were employed to give the outline of figure, all of which seemed to produced the illusion of naturalness, this situation no longer holds. Psychology, that science of mind which but a few years ago was understood by only the elect but to-day is understood by millions, has exerted an influence on the painting of scenery for theatrical use. It has brought about a realization that color affects human beings and synchronizes with human emotions if properly applied, and by this same token can create a disturbing element that makes for discord.
“Colors vibrate the same as music tones. The effect of color on the emotions of an audience is a subject that has long been a problem for serious study by the producer of plays, the costumer and the scenic artist. Why red should be the color to indicate danger or green safety no one knows, but still the fact remains that such is the case. Whether red, with its suggestion of fire, or green, of verdant fields, has anything to do with this still remains a matter of speculation. The emotional vibration sent out by red of the prismic ray is known to scientists to be the most powerful and excitiative, while the blue and violet are the most sedative. Lumière, the greatest of all authorities on color influence, after a series of tests covering many years, described the effects of color as the engine that propelled the various phases of human emotion to a perfect consummation of desired results.
“With the stage production reaching its present state of artistic perfection, the scenic artist can no longer paint his scenery merely to represent the outward appearance of the requirements in the manuscript. He must read the manuscript as carefully as the producer, who determines on his reading whether he is willing to make a presentation of it. The artist must make a serious and analytical study of the script and determine the predominating emotion of each act and choose his color scheme for the scenery in order to attain a perfect synchronization of color and emotion. By this means alone can a happy blending of scenery and dialogue, together with the acting of the company, produce the effect hoped for by the author and the manager to obtain complete success for their efforts.
“Speaking in an elementary way, for the purpose of providing simple experiments of color influence, the reader can easily determine the effect of amber in creating depression. By the use of pink exhilaration is promoted. A room done entirely in green simulates morbidity, while on the other hand blue is soothing. It has been discovered that the deeper and darker the tones of blue used as a decorative color scheme the more soothing and peaceful and cam is the influence on human emotion. Brown is a non-emotional color. It creates a sense of firmness and solidity. These suggestions can be utilized to as good advantage in home decoration as they have been in stage scenery. A sombre setting, with a flash of color, upsets synchronization of emotion, with the color scheme of a setting, just as awkward words clash in a musical score with notes intended to be complementary thereto.
“Lighting is so closely allied with stage settings that if there is not a unity of purpose between the two the audience gets the discord, which in this instance is unpleasing to the eye. In consequence thereof the play fails to satisfy and good acting is curtailed of effect.”
To be continued…
