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Endless Innovations: The Theories and Scenic Design of Frederick Kiesler

Held, Roger L.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1566463048511292

Abstract Details

1977, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, Theatre.
Endless Innovations is an historical/descriptive study of Frederick Kiesler's theory and scenic design in the perspective of twentieth century theatre. It includes his endeavours in other fields such as painting, architecture, sculpture, and commercial design, his relationship to the Expressionist, Futurist, De Stijl, Constructivist and Surrealist art movements, his theories, and his scenic designs from 1934 to 1956. The first unit of the study places the life and works of Kiesler in the perspective of his times. Kiesler was an innovative scenic designer who was trained in Vienna before World War I as an architect. Kiesler was the director of the Exhibition of New Theatre Technique in 1924; for the Exhibition Kiesler built his Space Stage, the first theatre in the round of the century. Kiesler was in charge of the Austrian theatre exhibition during the 1925 Worlds Fair and brought the exhibition to New York in 1926. Kiesler remained in the United States and developed plans for flexible theatres. In 1934 he became the designer for the Juilliard School of Music, a position he retained until 1956. Also during these years he was active as the designer of art exhibitions, the most significant being Art of This Century, and became noted for both his painting and sculpture. His major architectural endeavors were the Endless House, the Endless Theatre, and the building of the Shrine of the Book in Israel. The second organizational unit of the study presents the theories of the artist. He perceived man as the nucleus of the forces directed toward him by his internal human environment, the natural environment and the technological environment which man created. The final unit of the study is devoted to the cataloging of the scenic designs Kiesler executed in America. Analysis of the designs indicates that Kiesler's theories were applied to his scenic designs. His designs were typically a step beyond the New Stagecraft, relying substantially upon symbolic treatments of the scenic elements.
Harold Obee (Advisor)
Theater

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Held, R. L. (1977). Endless Innovations: The Theories and Scenic Design of Frederick Kiesler [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1566463048511292

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Held, Roger. Endless Innovations: The Theories and Scenic Design of Frederick Kiesler. 1977. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1566463048511292.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Held, Roger. "Endless Innovations: The Theories and Scenic Design of Frederick Kiesler." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 1977. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1566463048511292

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1566463048511292
184
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