Venice American Masks Essay

Venetian Masks were an important aspect in Carnival of Venice. The Carnivals began for people of different social classes to interact with one another while hiding their identities. Masks became very popular in Venice that many began to wear them outside of carnivals to avoid being recognized. People’s widespread use of masks led to crimes and in the 1300s, the city government placed rules that prohibited people to wear masks outside of carnivals. Masks that are used during the carnival can be grouped into either Commedia dell’Arte or Carnival masks. Many of the traditional masks are from Commedia dell’Arte, a type of improvisational theater that was played. Some venetian carnival masks got their names from the characters in the plays that wore these masks. The type of mask I planned to make and wear if I was attending Capulet’s party is a Volto mask. Volto or Larva meaning mask or ghost in Latin, is a type of mask worn by commoners during holidays such as St. Marco’s Day. …show more content…
First, I would cut out the shape of a Volto mask from a piece of cardboard with a pair of scissors.. Then, make a paper mache paste which can be done by mixing flour and water and cut newspaper into many strips. After that, I will cover the mask with newspaper strips dipped in paper mache paste. Then, let the mask dry and I could start the decoration process. To decorate, I will use different colors of paint, mainly red, white, and black. I would draw what I’m going to paint with a pencil before I begin to make sure I follow my design. I plan to paint the left side of the mask with red paint and small parts of both sides would be painted with black and yellow paint. On the right side, I would put details with yellow paint to have both sides look different. Final product of my mask will be put to dry and I would attach a string behind the mask to make it