THREE HUNDERED YEARS FROM THE BIRTH OF CARLO GOLDONI (1707-1793) - THE AUTOR OF THE COMICAL CHRONICLE OF HIS AGE

Abstract

This text was initiated by the great anniversary - three centuries from the birth of the most important Venetian comediographer Carlo Goldoni (1707-1793). Nowadays his comedies are still popular and famous, so they are often set on the stages worldwide. But Goldoni's Venetian chronicle appeared under the certain circumstances of his time. It seems as it the specific from particular acts of his plays are presented on the genre paintings of the contemporary Venetian painter Pietro Longhi, who shared his everyday life motif inspiration.
In the atmosphere of the democratic impulses of the new age and the affirmation of the middle classes, around the midcentury some changes took place in the theatre and in the painting as well. The audience was obviosly more inclined towards the subject matter from everyday life and its manifestation in reality’. At the same time, genre painting attracted an audience that was worthy of becoming its protag-, onist.
Certain well-off category of the Venetian citizens desired to see themselves in the comedies of Carlo Goldoni and in the paintings of Pietro Longhi, regardless of the fact that both of them, with their piercing insight, mocked their weaknesses, fashion fads and moral decline.
In harmony with realistic tendencies of the age of Enlightenment, Goldoni adapted the traditional Commedia delTArte to the taste of his time. He introduced the use of dialect in his plots and dialogues, and rejected the acrobatics and buffoonery which had led the comic action to vulgarization; he also removed the masks from the actors ' faces, thus making possible the presentation of characters that were truer to life. The reform of comedy took place gradually and opened the path to citizen drama. Goldoni's plays were constantly on the repertory of the Venetian theatres. This was the case even after 1761 when, discouraged by the success of another comediographer Carlo Gozzi, he moved to Paris, where he stayed until his death.