Arts, Culture and Masks

In the spirit of the mandatory wearing of masks in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, Yinka Olatunbosun reviews the roles that masks had played in aspects of history of Arts and culture.

Long before the Covid-19 pandemic, masks had been a part of the human existence and experience. Over the years, its usage served different functions in different spaces. For the Greek theatre, masks were used in the theatre to exaggerate facial expressions, projecting them to the vast audience. Masks also enabled an actor to play different roles since women were initially excluded from performing. Later on, during the Roman gladiatorial contests, masks were worn as protective gadgets and to make the wearer appear more intimidating to the opponent.

In medieval Europe and in Japan, soldiers and samurai wore similarly ferocious-looking protective armour, extending to face-masks. In the 16th century, the Visard was worn by women to protect from sunburn. Masks were part of rituals and ceremonies, mostly won for protection, hunting, feasts, wars and sometimes just for fashion |||READ MORE …