Image and Narrative: On Scenicity in the Plastic and Dramatic Arts

Image plus narrative equals tableau—or “scenicity,” the phenomenon of staging, in the visual and dramatic arts and in commerce. In this original and imaginative volume, scenicity is taken to describe any creative arrangement in a constructed, bounded space that is designed for viewing. This phenomenon, of course, has a history, and the authors look at the emergence of scenicity in painting and performance art (Masaccio, Vermeer, Duchamp, Dali, Beuys), staged photography (Daguerre, Halsman, Sherman, Crewdson, Witkin) and theater design (Palladio, Kysela), as well as in commerce, as a device in the staging of commercial goods in shop windows and advertising.