a guide to puppetry 3: the marionette – part two

The ‘Little Girl Giant’ of Royal de Luxe, animated by a team of puppeteers

…

In part one I gave a brief overview of the marionette. In part two I hope to offer encouragement to participants of this year’s Artlog Online Exhibition, The Puppet Challenge (curated by Peter Slight) in the hope that some of you may consider rising to the challenge of making ‘string-operated’ puppets.

…

Above: construction detail of a stringed-puppet

…

Below: two traditionally constructed puppets made by Czech master Jan Zalud. Puppet carving at its most discreet and elegant doesn’t get better than this. Just marvel at the hands in the first image, relaxed and beautifully positioned to open-out any gestures of the arms.

…

Visit Jan’s website HERE

…

Of all the varieties of traditional puppetry, I suspect the marionette is the type most likely to make the novice blanch at the thought of the technical skills required to produce puppets as fine as Jan Zalud’s. Historically marionettes have been carved from wood, and for those who’ve never before worked with the material, it might seem a daunting prospect to have to learn the craft . However, I’d never carved anything from wood in my life before making the puppet of Jane Seyes for last year’s The Mare’s Tale, and yet without a vise, a work-bench or even a proper knife, I was able to whittle her arms, lower legs, hands and feet with nothing fancier than a Stanley knife, and moreover at a fair old lick, as time was short.

…

…

…

I would have whittled the head had there been a big enough piece of decent wood lying around for the job, but with deadlines snapping at my heels, I modelled it instead from two-part epoxy putty worked over balled-up aluminium foil, as a chunk of of epoxy modelling compound that size would have made the head far too heavy.

…

But for those who really feel that whittling or wood-carving, even as crude as my own, is not for them, I point the way to the amazing American marionette-maker DoLores Hadley, who built her puppets from papier mâché.

Above: farmer’s wife by DoLores Hadley (1926 – 1999)

…

Then there’s Ronnie Burkett, a contemporary maker and puppet performer who models his characters before casting them in a papier mâché compound, repeatedly refining the surfaces in order to create the high finishes he requires.

Above: Ronnie Burkett and marionette

…

Papier mâché can be rather featherweight for a stringed-puppet, and care must be taken to add ballast to such a lightweight material, to anchor the marionette in gravity so that it doesn’t bob about or wobble. Makers often add lead weights into the feet of marionettes, to keep them in contact with the ground.

…

But don’t be daunted by Burkett’s peerless modelling skills. His is not the only way to make a puppet. Eric Sanko creates figures that are cruder in terms of finish, and yet are powerfully characterful, quite as capable of holding the attention of an audience as Burkett’s impressively detailed marionettes.

Below: marionette by Eric Sanko

…

In the first part of this post, I showed puppets by the Russian artist Aleksandra Aleksandrovna Ekster, and here is another constructivist marionette by her from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, that shows just how varied the art of marionette design can be. I would love to see this puppet in action, not least because I’m sure that it would be modernist in its movement, as well as its appearance. Not all marionettes need to imitate human locomotion.

…

And finally, a puppet by Czech marionette master, Jan Ruzicka, illustrating just how impressive simple construction can be when harnessed to such beautiful design and execution. The leather thongs he’s used for the arms look so good that he hasn’t seen the need to cover them with sleeves. The proportions of this puppet are wonderful. All attention is drawn to the over-scaled head with its vibrant expression, and to the large hands that emphasise gesture. The metal control-rod to the head lends much greater control over movement in such a small puppet than could be achieved with strings alone. This little creature can be made to turn her head, and to cock it in a bright, bird-like manner. A masterpiece in miniature, and utterly charming.

 

…