Mimoplastic art (also known as attitudes) is a

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

genre depicting works of art by use of

mime Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) is an Internet standard that extends the format of email messages to support text in character sets other than ASCII, as well as attachments of audio, video, images, and application programs. Message ...

, especially gestures and draping. Mimoplastic "attitude" is differentiated from the

tableau vivant A (; often shortened to ; plural: ), French language, French for "living picture", is a static scene containing one or more actors or models. They are stationary and silent, usually in costume, carefully posed, with props and/or scenery, and ...

by its imitation of classical sculpture. The genre depicted works of art, particularly classical subjects.

History

It was popularized by

Emma, Lady Hamilton Dame Emma Hamilton (born Amy Lyon; 26 April 176515 January 1815), generally known as Lady Hamilton, was an English maid, model, dancer and actress. She began her career in London's demi-monde, becoming the mistress of a series of wealthy men ...

. Hamilton's art form may have developed after modelling for the painter, George Romney.

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treat ...

wrote in 1787, "with a few shawls (she) gives so much variety to her poses, gestures, expressions etc., that the spectator can hardly believe his eyes... This much is certain: as a performance it is like nothing you ever saw before in your life". The art form trended among upperclass European women between 1770 and 1815. They created mimoplastic art in their homes.

Ida Brun Adelaide Caroline Johanne Brun (known as Ida Brun and later as Ida (de) Bombelles; 20 September 1792 – 23 November 1857) was a Danish singer, dancer, and classical mime artist in the genre known as mimoplastic art or "attitude". The literary sch ...

's attitudes included background music and narratives. The literary scholar

Henning Fenger Henning is a surname, also used as a given name, with origins in East Prussia (now part of Germany). Henning may also refer to: People with Henning as a surname * A. J. Henning (born 2002), American football player * Andrew Henning (1863� ...

(1921-1985), stated that Brun's "mimoplastic art captivated Europe". Other notable performers included

Henriette Hendel-Schütz Johanne Henriette Rosine Hendel-Schütz, née Schüler, (1772–1849) was a German actress, mimoplastic performer, dancer and singer. Biography Born on 13 February 1772 in Döbeln, Saxony, Hendel-Schütz was the daughter of the actor Carl Julius ...

and the only male performer of attitudes,

Gustav Anton von Seckendorff Gustav Anton von Seckendorff (20 November 1775 – 1823) was a German author, actor and declaimer. Life Gustav Anton Freiherr von Seckendorff was an offspring of the Gudent branch of the House of Seckendorff, which had its residence at Meuselwitz ...

References

{{Nonverbal communication Mime

History

See also

References