Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2020 - 58

BOOK REVIEWS

CATHERINE MANTOOTH, EDITOR

Jaroslav Malina: In Scenography and
Painting
By Joseph Brandesky, ed.
Karolinum Press, Charles University, 2019;
450 pages
Hardcover $45
Reviewed by Barbora Příhodová
Jaroslav Malina (1937-2016) was one
of the artists that left a prominent mark
in the landscape of theatre design in the
second half of the 20th century. Internationally known as a representative of
the so-called "action design," he created
sets and costumes for more than 400
productions in his native Czech Republic and elsewhere. As an instructor, Rector of Prague's Academy of Music and
Performing Arts (1969-96), and General
Commissioner of the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design (1991, 1999,

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and 2003), he influenced generations of
designers to come. Malina was also an
acclaimed painter with dozens of solo exhibitions, home and abroad. His work had
been reflected in numerous publications,
most notably in the 1999 monograph
entitled Jaroslav Malina (Dvork, Jan, ed.
1999) and frequently by Malina himself.
Malina's work was respected by

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58 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | WINTER 2020

professionals and admired by audiences
across countries. Admiration, respect,
and personal connection with the great
scenographer are what constitute the
ethos and the driving force of Jaroslav
Malina In Scenography and Painting, the
latest monograph dedicated to him. Published three years after Malina's passing
and edited by Joseph Brandesky, the leading promoter of Czech scenography in
the United States and Malina's long-time
friend, this monumental tribute to Jaroslav Malina's life and work contains eight
chapters discussing different aspects of
his work. They are written by academics from the Czech Republic, the United
Kingdom, and the United States, and
combined with more than 130 images
in color (renderings, production photographs, and paintings).
This book, a beautiful artifact in itself, works as an intricate kaleidoscope. It
shifts the perspective from opera design
(A chapter by Nena Couch, in fact, combines two topics: Malina's work for opera
and his use of scenography as a form of
political resistance.) to philosophical underpinnings in Malina's artwork to a comparison of Malina's approaches to those
of Josef Svoboda. The reader can "zoom
out" to an overview of general principles
in Malina's work as they evolved over the
decades and "zoom in" to a close analysis
of the seminal design for A Midsummer's
Night Dream. Brandesky's introductory
essay points to the interactions between
Malina's theatre design and paintings
while providing a useful historical and
political context. In this fashion, the book
brings a multilayered insight into Malina's
oeuvre and beyond. Through these writings and images, Malina emerges as a
highly individualistic, curious, and strong
personality and a versatile artist whose
work was deeply affected by the larger
historical events, especially by the 40
years of oppressive regime in his home
Czechoslovakia and also by his unique
experience of LSD consumption as a part
of a scientifically controlled experiment.
He was one of the designers who, in response to Svoboda's officially supported
robust scenic architectures and compli-

Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2020