Why not pretend to be somebody else, get into the party spirit and just go a bit wild? That is the very premise of Venice Carnival, the tacit agreement that underpins this merry saraband of masks and costumes, sending ripples of excitement through the city and seemingly defying time itself.
This February sees hundreds of thousands of people flock to Venice, strutting through its alleyways, parading along its canals and descending on its palazzi and theatres, with their masks and elaborate costumes their only distinguishing feature. In the days leading up to Ash Wednesday, these visitors give into the temptation of experiencing a phantasmagoria, which retains its appeal year after year. In doing so, they are upholding a thousand-year-old tradition.
All kinds of transgressions
Having started out in the 11th century as an enjoyable period of relaxation in the Christian calendar, it was during the 17th century that the event evolved into a movement beyond the scope of a carnival, carving out extended time in Venetians’ diaries for anonymity and freedom. As the upper echelons of society mingled with the working classes under the deceptive guise of white masks and bodies concealed beneath black habits, there was carte blanche for both social mixing and all kinds of transgressions – and these were carried out with complete impunity.
With the masquerade taking on new colours, its popularity peaked in the 18th century before being abolished in the 19th century by the authorities out of a desire to stamp out this “anything goes” and “everyone is equal” attitude.
The masks of the Venice Carnival : an ancestral know-how
It was only in the 1980s that the Carnival was revived in all its glory, opening the door for party-goers to visit Venice and thus breathing life into a form of ancestral know-how: mask-making.
At Ca’Macana, one of the city’s longest-standing and most prestigious workshops, a team of around 20 people made up of experienced employees and graduates of the Venice Academy of Fine Arts are tasked with creating these masks. What kind of tools and materials do they need? “Lots of passion and lots of patience!” is the slightly vague reply from Nancy, who has worked at the House for 24 years.
Key step: the decoration
“First, you need to create a sculpture out of clay, then you pour plaster on it to get the negative and then add layers of papier-mâché, a type of blotting paper with wool fibres that’s soaked in water and glue. Once it has dried (this takes between two days and a week), it is buffed and smoothed with sandpaper and glue, then painted white. The eyes and edges are cut out when needed.”
This is followed by the most important step and one which sets these masks apart: the decoration. “We apply coloured acrylic paints with a brush and then set them with varnish or wax (for a matte finish). For the final touch, we add accessories, such as gold leaf, fabric, feathers, Swarovski crystals, etc.”
Thousands of combinations
This feat of craftsmanship produces unique, handmade pieces, not only giving free rein to the designers’ boundless imagination (including an interpretation of The Scream by Munch), but also resulting in a whole host of colourful masks inspired by the leading names from the commedia dell’arte (Pantalone, Arlecchino, Colombine, Capitano Long Golden Nose, Pulcinella, etc.) and from Venetian tradition (Bauta, Volto, Doctor Plague, etc.), with each one telling its own story.
“The basic templates are always the same,” Nancy explains.“It’s the design that changes. There is the option for at least a thousand different colour and design combinations!” These include classic or checked masks; masks made of cashmere or velvet; moons, peacocks, jokers, swans, arabesques or Pierrot clowns; as well as masks with a crackled, patina or lacrima effect.
Eyes Wide Shut
Which are their most highly sought-after masks? “Wolves, because you can either wear them or hang them up on the wall. And who is your main customer base? “Foreigners, mostly from France, Europe and North America, as well as a lot of Italians who buy masks to decorate their houses or wear at private parties.”
They also receive customer requests from fashion and film. Both Fifty Shades Darker and Eyes Wide Shut feature hand-crafted pieces from the Ca’Macana workshop. But despite these other uses, the masks are still first and foremost associated with the Carnival, allowing carnival-goers to forget who they are and take on different personas in a celebratory Venice.
