Research Methods of Theatrical Costume: Ukrainian Experience

Abstract

The purpose of the article includes the theoretical context of theatrical costume research. After all, correctly selected and systematically organised methods provide a scientific basis, and therefore success in discourse. Classical methods of art history that arose in the 19th century were chosen in order to realise the outlined goal. Those methods to nowadays have not lost their relevance, namely, formal-stylistic, iconographic, and iconological since we were interested in the possibility of their application for the study of stage costume. The methods used in the article were primarily aimed to identify a common algorithm in the study of a separate narrow subject of research. By applying the historical-comparative and typological approaches to the above-mentioned methods, their universal possibilities were revealed, and thus the undiscovered potential in the process of performing the analysis of theatrical costume. The novelty of the article is evidenced by the theoretical elaboration of the content of each of the three specified methods, supported by historical facts-examples from the history of the costumes of performances staged in different years in Ukraine. The conclusions of the study are based on the step-by-step application of the three specified methods of classical art history for the analysis of theatrical costumes and the performance. The formal analysis gives a comprehensive description of the costume in its components, colour, silhouette, and architecture. Iconography opens up opportunities for classification as an elementary arrangement of concepts, motifs, and themes. Iconology allows to extend the classification scale to typological and take the next step through synchronic or diachronic contextuality.

Key words: theatrical costume, art history, formal-stylistic method, iconography, iconology.