Mask

The word "mask" occurs through Fr. masque from ital. maschera or Spanish máscara . Possible ancestors are the Latin (non-classical) mascus , masca о, meaning "ghost", and the Arab. maskharah ("jester", "a man in a masquerade").

Decorative masks are mainly designed to decorate a room. As wall decorations most often appear images of the divine essences of the African or Eastern pantheon. It can also be images of animals or, more rarely, celestial bodies. If in the West such a decoration has a purely aesthetic function, then in the East and in a number of African countries, decorative masks serve as totemic symbols that drive away evil spirits. Decorative masks vary in size. Sometimes there are products 1 meter high. Can be created from wood, bronze, gypsum, ceramics, or papier-mâché.

Masks in art

Harlequin

Since ancient times, masks around the world have played an important role in theatrical tradition. They acquired especially important value in east cultures. Their use in the theater has survived to this day, although they have undergone changes in form and expressive means.

In Europe, the use of masks in art was first widely represented among the ancient Greeks and Romans. The well-known symbol of theatrical art - a laughing and weeping mask - originates in the ancient Greek theater.

Greek masks often had a wide open mouth and played the role of a mouthpiece . They were made of bronze , and such masks helped the performer's voice reach the far ends of the amphitheater.

In the Middle Ages, wearing masks during a performance was associated with mystical considerations. The gods were portrayed by actors in silver or gold masks.

The heyday of the masks fell on the Renaissance. A large number of balls and masquerades, carnivals and other performances taking place on the street or in a palace setting created demand and contributed to the prosperity of mask craft. The mask added popularity to the ballet , in which the characters were often presented in masks.

Masked heroes of the comedy del arte are considered the forerunners of modern clowns . The famous character of the street theater - Harlequin , is widely known today.

Currently, masks are widely used in circus performances and puppet theaters. Masks are also used in stage images of members of certain groups, such as Slipknot, Mushroomhead and Hollywood Undead.

Theatrical masks

Masks are widely used in various forms of theater , for example:

• Japanese theater no ;
• well-known comedy of masks ;
• Indonesian Wayang ;
• Chinese Chao Opera ;
• ritual military dance of chow in india ;
• Macho Raton is a genre of satirical drama in Nicaragua .

Carnival Masks

Masks around the world are widely used in various festivals and carnivals.

The thousand-year-old Venetian carnival traces its history to ancient Roman saturnals , during which slaves were allowed to sit at the same table with the owners and during which people wore masks to avoid discomfort during communication.

Carnival masks can completely cover the face, or partially. If expensive Venetian masks are made of gypsum, then more affordable carnival masks can be created from plastic or papier-mâché. ^[one]

Masks in games

The mask is used in the game Dishonored by the Lord Protector of Empress Corvo, who hides his face so that he is not recognized as the killer of the Empress. In the same game, there are masks of the Rangers - with which, in the course of the plot, Corvo will have to meet. Sharmat Dagoth Ur from The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind also wears a golden mask. Also, in some games of the Elder Scrolls series there is an artifact - Clavicus Vile Mask.

Characters of the game PAYDAY: The Heist wear clown masks (can be replaced with others).

In the Dark Souls series of games, there are also many characters wearing masks. Of these, it is possible to note the well-known ones, such as: the necromancer Whirlwind (the holder of the masks of the Child, Father and Mother), Siaran the Lord's Blade (the holder of the Porcelain Mask), Lucatiel from Mirra (removes during the game), Gwindoline the Dark Sun, Aldrick the God Eater and the Keeper Fire (from Dark Souls III).

Ritual masks

Ritual masks were worn by participants in various ceremonies (cult and magic dances and others). They are widely known since ancient times among many tribes and peoples of the world (in Africa, North and South America, Asia, Oceania). They were made of wood bark, wood, grass, skin, matter, bone and other materials and depicted human faces, animal heads or any fantastic or mythological creatures. A special kind of such masks are headgear.

The use of ritual masks is associated with the cults of ancestors, spirits, animals, totemic ideas and others. Putting on the mask, as it were, transformed into the creature that she depicted. Often (for example, among the peoples of Melanesia, Africa, America) ritual masks were the property of secret unions and were used in the initiation of youths, military raids, the administration of justice, etc. A number of Siberian peoples (Shors, Buryats, Nenets) in the past wore cloth and birch bark masks during certain types of shamanistic prayers, and among Khanty and Mansi - during festivities in honor of the murdered bear (see. Bear holiday ).

The oldest ritual mask discovered in Novgorod land (the settlement of Lukovets in the Vologda region flooded by the Rybinsk Reservoir) is made of birch bark and dates from the end of the X century - the beginning of the XI century ^[2] .

Medical

A common way to protect against airborne infections is through medical masks. In general terms, they are a bandage on the face covering the nose and mouth of a person, and are made of a material that allows air to pass through, but retains droplets of sputum when exhaling (gauze, cotton, non-woven materials). Medical masks are used when dealing with debilitated patients, and they are also used during the seasons of mass spread of acute respiratory viral infections to protect others from the disease.

Professional

Protective

Protective masks perform the following functions:

• Provide air or other oxygen-containing mixture for breathing.
• Protect your face from flying objects or hazardous environments while maintaining the ability to visually observe.

Many masks perform both functions.

These include:

• Respirators
• Gas masks .
• Masks for scuba diving .
• Respiratory masks for high-altitude pilots.
• Anesthetic masks.
• Masks for performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation .
• Sports masks for various sports: masks for hockey goalkeepers, American football players.
• Ski masks.
• Paintball masks.
• Ritual masks.
• Carnival and theater masks.
• Faces
• Hockey masks
• other.

Among the masks supplying the respiratory mixture, there are both full-face masks that protect the respiratory and vision organs, and half masks that protect only the respiratory system, therefore, to protect the eyes, you must additionally wear safety glasses.

Sports

Military

A mask is part of a helmet in the form of a metal mask. It completely covers the face, protecting it from not very strong blows, and also has a psychological effect on opponents. The disadvantages of the masks are the restriction of vision and difficulty breathing.

To prevent identification

• Criminals often use masks to discourage identification when committing crimes. In many jurisdictions, wearing a mask while committing a crime is an aggravating circumstance; wearing a mask at public meetings and demonstrations is also considered a crime. For example, in the state of Virginia , USA, the responsibility for wearing a mask comes from 16 years of age ^[3] . Moreover, in some US states wearing a mask is illegal only if you want to commit an illegal action ^[4] .
• Sometimes the witness for the prosecution can testify in court, hiding under a mask in order to avoid the identification of the accused by supporters (members of the criminal group).
• Participants in ghetto protests usually wear masks and bandanas in order to try to protect themselves from being identified by agents in civilian clothes as agents.
• Special forces soldiers also use masks to suppress possible revenge on the part of the enemy.

Punitive

• "Shameful" mask ( German: Schandmaske ) was invented for public insult; A popular “lite” form is donkey ears for a poor ( dumb ) student or student.
• Particularly inconvenient masks, such as an iron mask, are suitable as devices for torture or corporal punishment.
• In Australian prisons at the end of the 19th century, masks were used to suppress talk and exclusion. They were made of white fabric and covered the face, leaving only eyes open.

Post-mortem mask - a wax or plaster cast taken from the face of a deceased person immediately after his death. A funerary mask is a piece of decorative art, often made of precious metals, which is placed on the face of a deceased before burial in some cultures.

One of the films contained in the Golden Collection is The Mask (film, 1994) , there is also the film The Mask of Zorro , in which the main character wears a black mask in the form of a rag bandage, there is still a tetralogy about the superhero Batman, these are Batman films (film, 1989) Batman returns to Tim Burton, Batman is forever directed by Joel Schumacher and Batman and Robin .

Fantomas committed his masked atrocities.

In the JJBA anime, some villains used - Stone masks that turned people into vampires.

• Claude Levy-Strauss. The way of masks // Levy-Stros K. The way of masks. Per. with fr. A. B. Ostrovsky. M., 2000, p. 20-97.
• L. Sofronova. Mask as a technique of difficult identification // Culture through the prism of identity. M .: Indrik, 2006, p. 343-359.
• Retrospective of False Faces // Vadim Erlikhman, article in the magazine Around the World.

• Masks of the Japanese theater No
• Masks and physiognomic modeling http://fisionomicus.com
• Encyclopedia of African ritual masks http://afroart.ru/encyclopedia