Inigo Jones left a legacy in more than one area. He could easily be considered a renaissance man with his involvement in so many different fields. Perhaps this is due to Vitruvius' belief that architects should have practical and theoretical knowledge in all sciences, arts and nature (Cartwright). Inigo has had a great impact on the realm of technical theater through his life contributions and his various careers. Although he dabbled in costume, architecture, lighting, landscape art and stage design, he is well known for his developments in technical theatre. Without Inigo Jones, technical theater as we know it would be very different. Inigo Jones influenced his successors and created the world of technical theater we know today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Little is known about Inigo Jones' early life or how he became the famous architect and set designer he is well known to this day. The first evidence of Inigo's early career is that he apprenticed to a carpenter well before his father's death. His father, also Inigo Jones, was a textile worker who died in 1597. Inigo's life between his father's death and the year 1603 remains a mystery. In 1603 we hear for the first time that Inigo practiced the profession of "painter". During this period the term "painter" was used to distinguish building painters from those who painted pictorial compositions. Inigo's profession was one of the latter (Summerson). Shortly afterwards Inigo was sent to Italy to study drawing. While in Italy, Inigo learned perspective drawing and scenery (Summerson). Inigo Jones' trip to Italy was a pivotal moment in his career and legacy. Inigo not only honed his drawing skills, but also learned new ways of thinking and designing which he brought back to England. The classical architecture and scenic elements he brought from Italy "[ushered] an era of classical elegance, proportion and harmony" (HISTORYUK). He was introduced to the proscenium arch which introduced him to the British theatre. His introduction to Scenario all'Italiana included moving scenarios arranged in perspective. Inigo Jones' scenes used a series of shutters that slid in and out using grooves in the floor. He also flew into the scenery from above and introduced colored lighting by placing candles behind colored glass (Worsley). At the court of Florence, Jones studied the work of Giulio Parigi. After 1630 Inigo's drawings were almost all copied from the Paris interludes (Brockett). Inigo owned a copy of Palladio's architectural treatise in which he wrote notes comparing Palladio's idea with those of Serlio, Scamozzi and Vignola to name a few (Brockettt). To understand how Inigo Jones took what he learned in Italy and adapted it for the British scene it is important to note how the perspective scenario came about. Around 15 BC Vitruvius wrote De Architectura, in which he detailed exactly what he thought architecture should entail. Much more than a book about buildings and machines, the contents of De Architectura reveal the ancients' much broader concept of what exactly architecture is. ' and describes topics such as science, mathematics, geometry, astronomy, astrology, medicine, meteorology, philosophy and the importance of the effects of architecture, both aesthetic and practical, on the daily lives of citizens. In short, according to Vitruvius, the successful architect and engineer should possess both theoretical and practical knowledge based on a broad and deep understanding of all sciences, arts and evennature. More importantly, for Vitruvius buildings should always be three things: beautiful, stable and useful (Cartwright). The first notable figure in perspective scenography was Filippo Brunelleschi. He discovered a mathematical system for linear perspective. This created an illusion of space and distance on a flat surface, usually a painted background. While still in the early stage of his architectural career (probably around 1410-15), Brunelleschi rediscovered the principles of perspective construction known to the Greeks and to the Romans but buried along with many other aspects of ancient civilization during the European era. Middle Ages. Brunelleschi demonstrated his discoveries with two painted panels, now lost, depicting Florentine streets and buildings. From Manetti's descriptions it is clear that Brunelleschi understood the concept of a single vanishing point, towards which all parallel lines drawn on the same plane seem to converge, and the principle of the relationship between distance and the decrease of objects as they appear to move away in space. Using the optical and geometric principles on which Brunelleschi's perspective devices were based, artists of his generation were able to produce works of astonishing realism. On two-dimensional surfaces they managed to create extraordinary illusions of three-dimensional space and tangible objects, so that the work of art seemed to be an extension of the real world or a mirror of nature. Although the laws governing perspective construction were brought to light by Brunelleschi, they were first codified by the humanist architect Leon Battista Alberti. In 1435 Alberti transcribed them in On Painting, his famous treatise on painting, which included a warm dedication to Brunelleschi, no doubt an expression of Alberti's debt to the revolutionary discovery of his friend (Hyman). From the time of Brunelleschi to that of Serlio we have some noteworthy figures who contributed significantly to Inigo Jones' learning of the principles of scenography which he subsequently established. Leon Battista Alberti published Brunelleschi's secret in Della Pitture, the first treatise on the geometric principles of linear perspective. Pellegrino da San Daniele placed individual houses in front of a painted backdrop for a staging of Ariosto's Scrigno in Ferrara. It is believed that he used these houses as corner wings. Sabitini wrote about the problems of scene changes and the use of devices such as sliding rails fixed in grooves on the stage floor to facilitate scene shifts. He also experimented with a device capable of simulating the movement of special effects such as waves or clouds. Jones passed on his borrowed knowledge to Webb who, in turn, entered the English scene and began a tradition that would be improved and perfected throughout the Restoration (Helton). Subsequently Sebastiano Serlio published Architetura, the first work detailing the project. and construction of a court theater (Wild). Serlio's theater was erected in an existing large room (a Sala di Stato) in the court palace, standard practice of the time. The stage, located at one end of the hall, was raised to the sovereign's eye level and the perspective scenery was designed to provide the Royal Chair with a perfect view. The front half of the stage floor was level, the back half sloped towards the back wall increasing the illusion of depth. The scenery was placed on the raked (or sloped) part of the stage. Serlio's sets (Comic, Tragic and Pastoral) consisted of four sets of wings (the first three were angled - one face parallel to the front edge of the stage and the other inclined upwards - and the fourth wing was flat and parallel at the front edge of the stage thepublic) and a backdrop or a rear shutter. His sets were conceived in architectural terms. They were not meant to be moved (Wild). Subsequently Giovan Battista Aleotti introduced the flat wing in Ferrara as opposed to the usual angled wings. His most notable work is the Teatro Farnese in Parma. The Farnese Theater was the largest and most extravagant theater erected up to that time. This theater combined a U-shaped hall with a new concept: the proscenium arch. The Farnese Theater is still standing and is the first prototype of the scenic arch structure. This was the first time the audience was given a framework to view a game's action through (Tidworth). Giovan Battista Aleotti is also known for his activity as a hydraulic and military engineer. It was he who established this work in the Farnese Theater with the first mobile scenography in the history of the theater (Tidworth). The stage is deep enough to equip nine to ten rows of sliding floors. The action, however, did not want to be limited to this area; could spill into the arena in front of the scaenaefrons and even into the center of the U-shaped rows of seats (Tidworth).” Inigo Jones introduced this Italian concept of perspective stage design into the English court theater of James I. He initially used angled wings in his designs as well as a rear shutter as seen in his production of Ben Jonson's The Masque of Blackness. Three years later, Inigo switched to framing his scenes with a proscenium, and in the 1630s he abandoned the use of Serlio's angled wings for flat wings which he learned were much more practical (Wild). From Italy he went to Denmark where he worked for King Christian on the design of the palaces of Rosenborg and Frederiksborg. Inigo became much more popular when he helped bring masks to the stage while collaborating with Ben Jonson. The masks were allegorical stories that suggested parallels between the person being honored and some mythological character or event. The story and its symbolism were usually presented through images such as dance, props, pantomime and scenery (Brockett). Inigo Jones and Ben Jonson collaborated on masks for many years. “The masque genre originates from various court entertainments and popular customs, developed to its greatest extent during the reigns of the Tudor and Stuart monarchs, and almost immediately became obsolete during the British Civil War following the challenge to the monarchy (Donaldson).” Jonson wrote the masks and Jones designed the costumes and sets. Their first collaboration was on The Masque of Blackness in December 1604. Jones had been traveling for a few years and had just returned to London, so it is quite possible that they had not known each other for long when they began working together (Donaldson). The beginning of their relationship was difficult. Jonson had never traveled to Italy but had superior classical training than Inigo. Jonson mocked Jones for reciting an incorrect name from Vitruvius' De Architectura. This is most likely due to Inigo reading an Italian translation rather than the original Latin form in which Jonson was proficient. Even more shocking, Jonson mocked Inigo's upbringing which was not far removed from his own. Jonson suggests that Jones grew up on borrowed money. It also suggests that Inigo's first profession as a carpenter was one to be ashamed of. Since Jonson was a bricklayer, he didn't start his life much better than Inigo (Donaldson). Although they both started from humble beginnings, they were about to begin an extraordinary collaboration for the new royal dynasty. Their alliance flourished for more than two decades. After a series of successful collaborations, Ben Jonson and Inigo Jones parted ways. Ultimately, Jonson chargedInigo to exemplify the changes and scenic transformations. Jonson thought that in the masques they deliberately had more predominance than in Jonson's poetry. In fact, "The Masque of Oberon" cost over £2,000 in 1611 and the costumes alone cost over £1,000. Jonson received just £40 for writing the screenplay (Kinney). The nature of the masks involved a one night show. After the show, the set was dismantled and the audience often took pieces of it as souvenirs. The difference between Inigo Jones's work and [Jonson's] could therefore be represented analogically (Jonson believed) as that between body and soul: the former, condemned in time to be "utterly forgotten", the latter to be preserved eternally ( Donaldson). Basically, Jonson didn't like that his job paid him a small portion of the cost of Inigo's sets and spectacle. He believed his work would survive forever. Jonson did not think that Inigo's work, demolished on the same day as the performance, would be remembered for years or centuries to come. This analogy fails to convey what Jonson actually thought of Jones' work. Jonson placed great value on his partner's artistry and creativity. Jonson knew that Inigo's work created visual symbolism for his writings on court masques (Stratford-Upon-Avon Studies). In 1642 the theaters were closed due to a civil war that broke out in England. Closing theaters was thought to avoid public disorder. The theaters remained closed for eighteen years, causing considerable inconvenience to anyone practicing the theatrical profession. The Puritans, led by Oliver Cromwell, opposed theatrical performances which put them at odds with King Charles I who promoted theater at his court. The year 1656 was a crucial year for the theater and for the work of Inigo Jones. William Davenant managed to produce "The Siege of Rhodes" at his home, The Rutland House, which introduced the scenes and the first actress (Stratford-Upon-Avon Studies). He staged it with moving scenes arranged in perspective, which would prove very influential. This was one of the first uses of Inigo's Italian Scenario. The Scenario all'italiana was a combination of Italian and French influences together with the re-emergence of some elements of the court masques of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The masks were a toy for the nobility, an indoor spectacle that had no literary value but provided a very dramatic spectacle. John Webb was the pupil, son and law of the famous mask designer Inigo Jones. During the reign of Charles I, Jones created elaborate sets and costumes for masques, and helped redesign banquet halls to accommodate stages up to 35 feet wide and 25 feet deep, equipped with trapdoors and machinery to allow manipulation of scenery from below. Many of Jones' ideas were taken directly from the writings of Italian designer Sebastien Serlio in his published work D'Architechturra. Serlio created detailed drawings of three classical settings, the tragic set composed of palaces and temples with large stately arches and elaborate decorations, the comic set with contemporary houses set in a shopping mall or public square, and the satirical set of full outdoor landscapes of forests. , field and cottage (Helton). John Webb, a pupil and collaborator of Inigo Jones, painted a recently introduced proscenium arch (Loftis). This "frontispiece" hid both the operation of the machinery and the sides of the stage from the auditorium. The plan of the Siege of Rhodes shows four pairs of shutters placed directly behind each other. This allowed for immediate scene changes that could be transformed before the eyes of the audience. Webb has too.