My mask is made with half a premade, molded mask. I Paper Mached over it with newspaper and a flour and water mixture. Once initially layered for reinforcement, I made various three dimensional shapes out of extra newspaper and masking tape to create the nose and nostrils of the mask. I later formed eyebrows. Then, I attached the shapes onto the mask with the same Paper Mache technique.
I have chosen to decorate my Brighella half-mask in the traditional green. Green symbolizes many things, like greed and supernatural lust. It can also be interpreted as the natural desires of man. Green most often represents jealousy and envy, sometimes considered an innate characteristic of man, exaggerated by Brighella. In some poetry, a “green” woman symbolized women who had been eroticized. This can connect to Brighella’s womanizing habits. After being primed with green spray paint, I added paint details to the mask. I used dark green to emphasize deep shadows as well as light green to add height to the three dimensional elements. I wanted to use broad, unidirectional strokes to emphasize the harsh aspects of Brighella’s character. I also splattered various shades of green to add texture. Lastly, I threaded some ribbon through premade slots on the side of the mask.
A Brighella mask has the option of a mustache. I chose not to add a mustache, because I wanted to emphasize the nose. Most Brighella masks exhibit a flatter and wider nose than that of other stock characters. The larger or broader the nose of the mask, the stupider the character. I like Brighella’s particular nose as a focal point of the face rather than a mustache, because it is fairly unique among the troupe. Again, it is broad and not so long, showing he is usually stupid; however, in some way, I find him introverted and sneaky with his plans, represented by the length of the nose. I believe the mustache is more significant for characters such as Il Capitano.
I feel as though my mask reflects an accurate interpretation of a Commedia Dell’arte Brighella mask. Some similar aspects are the color, general nose, and the three dimensional elements. Differences between my mask and a traditional or professional mask include the medium and more extreme exaggeration of facial features.
I enjoyed my mask making process, and I can only imagine how much effort went into masks during the peak of Commedia Dell’arte’s initial popularity.
