Harlequinade ハーレクイン

Harlequinade is an English comic theatrical genre, defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "that part of a pantomime in which the harlequin and clown play the principal parts". It developed in England between the 17th and mid-19th centuries. It was originally a slapstick adaptation or variant of the commedia dell'arte, which originated in Italy and reached its apogee there in the 16th and 17th centuries. The story of the Harlequinade revolves around a comic incident in the lives of its five main characters: Harlequin, who loves Columbine; Columbine's greedy and foolish father Pantaloon (evolved from the character Pantalone), who tries to separate the lovers in league with the mischievous Clown; and the servant, Pierrot, usually involving chaotic chase scenes with a bumbling policeman.

During the 16th century, commedia dell'arte spread from Italy throughout Europe, and by the 17th century adaptations of its characters were familiar in English plays. In English versions, harlequinades differed in two important respects from the commedia original. First, instead of being a rogue, Harlequin became the central figure and romantic lead.

Secondly, the characters did not speak; this was because of the large number of French performers who played in London, following the suppression of unlicensed theatres in Paris. Although this constraint was only temporary, English harlequinades remained primarily visual, though some dialogue was later admitted.

My Italian friend Agostino comes to Venice with a different costume each day. This time he came with two lady friends all dressed as Colombina. Together, we did a spontaneous photo session called Harlequinade, roping in Kate who happened to be passing by to guest star as Pierrot....

As usual, the portraits are just done on the busy streets of Venice and using natural lighting only...

These kind of photos are generally not the most sought after by travel photographers at the Venice Carnevale but I find them more down to earth and genuine, and when mixed with photos of the Venetian masks, they actually make a powerful series great for exhibitions and photo shows...