From Quill to Canvas
Designing Shakespeare Through the Ages
When brushstrokes replace monologues, the tranquil precincts of the McNay Art Museum serve as an unprecedented exploration of William Shakespeare’s timeless influence on visual culture unfolds. Designing Shakespeare Through the Ages not only showcases Moore’s indelible and extensive knowledge on literature but also brings to light his expansive appreciation for art of all mediums.
As I step into the exhibition space, the knee-jerk sensation is one of traversing through time. The ambience in the room felt as if I had walked into a pandoras box of literature. Artwork everywhere with gold trim and gothic type-faces frame the room. The curatorial experience of Remus Moore is evident in how the artworks, sculptures, and models are juxtaposed against a background of rich and deep earth tone wall. Featuring the majority of the works in gold frames creates a sense of opulence in the space, almost exuding an art deco aura. From intricate Elizabethan costumes depicted to bold, abstract set designs of the 20th century, each piece tells a part of a story, not just of a play, but of an era.
As I enter the exhibition, they are immediately transported into a world where each painting, sketch, and model serves as a window to the past. The walls, adorned with detailed renderings and unique artworks, depicting some of Shakespeare’s most celebrated plays. The arrangement of the plays within the exhibition felt a bit spread out, the room in which the exhibition sat was wide and about the same length, so this created an almost empty, void feeling. The room almost feels too tall The arrangement itself within the space is rather intuitive, with each wall correlating to a particular Shakespearean play. Searching for the “path” to follow when viewing the exhibition proved to be a challenge in a large square room featuring two wall panels in the center. I find it hard to believe that the exhibition was just plopped into the space with no thought put into placement, I’d like to think that the plays were arranged by theme, but I could not find a through-line. I found one to become evident and that was simply the reimagination of Shakespeare’s most recognizable works into visual terms. In my dreams, it would have been in order of most “light-hearted” to most “macabre.”
Possibly the most captivating aspects of the exhibition are the miniature set dioramas. The models, detailed yet small in size are vast in imaginative perspective and offer a bird’s-eye view of theatrical staging through the years. A diorama of Hamlet’s Elsinore Castle, nested with moody lighting and period-accurate architecture, creates the setting of the prince’s tormented soliloquies. Another beautiful standout was the Maquette for Othello, this piece utilizes marbles, a mirror, and paper to generate a scaled representation of an opulent, yet somber theatrical stage, that perfectly encapsulates the emotional complexities of the play. Timothy O’Brien’s craftsmanship in the maquette not only showcases the play’s themes but also asks the audience to reflect on the deceptive facades each character in Othello embodies.
The presentation for King Lear in the exhibition deftly encapsulates the themes of the play, division, loneliness, and the hardships and complexities within familial relationships. Featured front and center in Leslie Hurry’s stage design, which examines the stark and desolate environment of being placed within royalty. Hurry is a world-renowned set and costume designer with a focus in the theatre. This design reflects that of the King’s decent into madness and the inevitable chaos that it brings to his lands. This particular portrayal within the exhibition I found to enhance the understanding of Lear’s tragic decent; his misjudgment of loyalty and love, which eventually leads to his ultimate downfall and the disintegrations of pretty much everything in the story.
For the exploration of Hamlet, it is through an almost profound collection that toys with the play’s core themes of justice, vengeance, and grief. The exhibition features a bone-chilling lithograph depiction of the phantom, among many other pieces. Most prominently, is the minimalist yet powerful set design by actor-director Edward Gordon Craig, which encapsulates the existential dilemma faced by Hamlet. Walking through this section I was invited to delve deeper into the complex mindset of the characters and the narrative, full of deceit and moral conflict, opening my eyes to the artisanal attention to detail from Shakespeare in crafting his characters.
Moving to the Romeo and Juliet sector of the room, I had high hopes, as this is my favorite Shakespearean play. The exhibition vividly brings to life the tragedy of the story through an interesting collection of visual art and design. The display offers modernist interpretations side-by-side to more traditional elements like painting or sketches, creating a binary or dialogue between the past and present. One standout piece is the feature of Robert Indiana’s 1972 screenprint, which utilizes a bold, typographic style to highlight themes of love and doom intertwined in the play. Indiana’s use of stark, symmetrical letters and a high contrast black and white color scheme convey a sort of extremity that can be mirrored in the young lover’s fate. Indiana’s piece fits perfectly into this section of the exhibition, as it butters the toast when it comes to encapsulating the themes of Romeo and Juliet. Another work that drew my attention, is a costume design for Romero by the Motley Theatre Design group, (c. 1954), that flawlessly outlines a caricature that offers a direct not to the historical context in which the play is set. The costume is very romantic in a sense, combining elements from the Elizabethan era with a teensy bit of minimal ideas thrown into the mix, connecting the piece to the timeless appeal of the characters and their stories. The annotations on the design itself explains some of the thought process behind the choices, which ended up pointing out Romeo’s spirit and romanticism. The exhibition all together had me reflecting on how love transcends barriers, whether that be time, physical, metaphorical, etc. Works similar to the ones I’ve pointed out continue to reinterpret Shakespeare’s classic themes in visually unique ways, and I think it should continue to do so that generations later people can still enjoy these stories from new perspectives.
Circling back to that maquette designed by Timothy O’Brien, the work emerges as a central piece within the space designated for Othello. The design of the set meticulously uses shadow and light to create an atmosphere of otherness and deep distrust, paralleling Othello’s descent into jealousy (and madness). The material choice and architecture within the maquette mirror that of the claustrophobic and oppressive environment that leads to the tragedy’s ending. The maquette creates an isolating space that reflects Othello’s mental state, as he tries to cope with his outsider status and the venomous deceit of Iago. The exhibition brings attention to how Iago’s manipulation of racial and cultural otherness push the story-line forward. The moody lighting sets the scene for shadowy and confined spaces that are similar to that of where Othello finds himself. Each part of the design, from the muted color scheme to the purposeful lighting, serves to enhance theatric tension and highlight the play’s portrayal of thematic depiction of betrayal, love, and the consequences of insecurity and mistrust. By bringing these elements to the forefront, the works selected to represent Othello invite the viewers to not just consider the tragedy between Othello and Desdemona, but to place yourself in the broader societal messages about identity, trust, and the (mostly) destructive power of manipulation. Taking Shakespeare’s work and visualizing them in this manner, allows for interpretation to be tailored to an individual based on their own life experiences.
The Tempest section of the exhibition really through me for a loop with Leslie Hurry’s design for the character of Caliban, the “savage” and “deformed slave.” Looking at all of the works associated with The Tempest, I was immediately drawn to Hurry’s depiction. It’s a true standout, not only because it boldly throws out any past interpretations, she approaches it with a raw and unpolished grit, which I admire and think was an absolute home-run. Hurry’s Caliban isn’t just the character, he’s a vibe, a mood, a sort of brooding presence that looks like he randomly drops a deeply philosophical thought before breakfast. The graphite sketch, dated 1962, pulls no punches when portraying Caliban as a creature that is both pitied and despised, yet undoubtedly powerful in his own right. Hurry’s Caliban is a work that demands attention, it doesn’t just sit quietly to a corner of the exhibit. It roars to life, demanding an audience and challenging preconceived notions regarding beauty, power, and dignity.
In Designing Shakespeare Through the Ages, the interplay of literature and art is seen as a strong testament to the versatility and longevity of Shakespeare’s works. Each artwork, whether the intricate Elizabethan costumes or abstract 20th-century set designs, transcends representation; they serve as an interpretive lense through which these timeless narratives can be enjoyed. For example, the crazy detailed costume designs for Twelfth Night reveal nuances of the characters and social contexts, urging viewers to explore themes of identity and disguise not just through the confines of text. This collaboration between written text and visual art enriches the audience’s comprehension and praises the infinite possibilities of creative expression inspired by Shakespeare’s archive. This marriage between literature and art highlights the enduring power of Shakespeare’s plays to inspire innovation across a plethora of medias, establishing that his works are not bound to the confines of a piece of paper but can be reimagined in countless different artistic languages.
Walking through Designing Shakespeare Through the Ages, I found myself wondering about the curation of this exhibition. What was the process for selecting which plays to showcase? How many works were cut to make everything fit in the space? What order am I supposed to view this through? Looking at Shakespeare’s work through the lense of color, texture and form over typography and graphite provide an entirely different sensory experience than originally experienced. Past this, I find the aesthetic and thematic connections to be generally well executed, though there were a couple of pieces I didn’t understand completely; perhaps with some more time they would make sense. I find that the arrangement of the plays within the space to be just a bit confusing, perhaps grouping them by genre (tragedy, comedy, histories) or making it clearer on viewing preference. Despite this, the exhibition’s innovative approach to blending literature and art offered a novel perspective on these classic plays. It was illuminating to see how contemporary artists interpret the themes of love, betrayal, and societal constraints. The exhibition itself encourages personal reflection, this makes the experience not simply educational but deeply self-effacing, prompting museum goers to consider their own perceptions of Shakespeare’s themes in the light of modern social issues in their own life. Experiencing “Designing Shakespeare Through the Ages,” one is coerced to reflect upon the profoundly immeasurable impact that William Shakespeare continues to hold over both literature and the visual arts. This exhibition, curated with passion and a deep respect for Shakespeare, does more than merely display art; it creates an environment, an immersive narrative that bridges centuries, emotion, and reflection. As visitors wander through the meticulously staged space, they engage with a set of dialogues, past and present, text and image, tragedy and comedy. Each element, from the pencil strokes of the graphite to the embellishments on the costumes, operates as a documentation to the timeless relevance of Shakespeare’s themes. The exhibition completely subverts the expectation that Shakespeare is meant for the page while also deviating from the traditional ‘classroom Shakespeare’ that we’re all used to. The exhibition also invites the audience to contemplate universal truths of the world, featured in these texts and reimagined with the artworks. The thoughtful juxtaposition of traditional works and contemporary design enriches the experience and understanding of how Shakespeare’s influence transcends the confines of his texts. By offering his work depicted in a different medium, it offers his artistic vision to be built upon in a more contemporary manner that allows for his work to be revitalized for a more contemporary audience. All in all, this exhibition is not simply an artistic endeavor, but a cultural statement that affirms the power of Shakespeare to inspire creativity and introspection in the modern era. This experience underscores a museum’s job as not only as caretaker of history but as a participant in an ongoing, ever-changing cultural conversation.
