Illustrations for Friedrich Hebbel's theatrical piece Die Nibelungen (unrealised)
circa 1920
Que c'est un coup d'état raffiné! Such an elegant and confident
charge against a déluge of arrows is certainly an act of heroism. The horses'
legs are rearing in sync, the heraldic spears are being lowered in defence and
the soldiers' heads are bent with determination - what controlled force! But
what this set of drawings depicts is not reality. It is rather an artificial
scene meant for the confinement of a stage, and for the appreciation of an
audience enjoying the comforts of the theatre's accommodation. Though does this
make the heroic feat any less interesting?
Whether on paper or
on stage, the two organised assemblages of knights, horses, weapons and shields
form very pleasing figurative vignettes. Why is this? Because Czeschka knew how
to attract attention by using simple but effective elements of graphic design.
Consider how the linear treatments of the flagged diagonal spears and of the horses'
tensed hind legs connect to create one continuous white formation set against a
rich blue background, stretching from the lower right-hand corner to the top
left. Not only does this divide each composition into triangular halves, but - with
the help of the two contrasting colour planes - it also forms a visual 'barricade'
against the army of arrows which pours in from the left at an angry horizontal
angle. And with the additional geometric patterns adorning the props and
characters this scene comes into perspective as a large grid - one that, if
seen live, would remain so for less than a second.
