Tricks - is it science, magic or sorcery?

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Tricks are an entertaining and witty puzzle that the viewer will have to solve in a split second. Because the law of the genre requires speed, immediacy. The public does not have time to comprehend what they see. One magic follows another, and it seems that the usual and established world order is collapsing under the pressure of incredible transformations following one after another.

First Tricks (Ancient Egypt)

Rocks on the banks of the Nile and carved into them around 1260 BC. e. temple of Abu Simbel… It can be considered the first illusion apparatus known to people. Twice a year, on the day of his birth and on the day of accession to the throne, Pharaoh Ramses II appeared in it. Mysterious atmosphere, hundreds of people are waiting for a miracle, temple priests read ancient spells and magic formulas. They call on the sun to break through the clouds and reveal the pharaoh to the people. And a miracle happens. At the right time, as if obeying the priests, a slanting sunbeam pierces the opening of a narrow door, penetrates into a low and dark room and illuminates the figure of the ruler in the darkness.

This is how the ancient papyri described the ceremony. The solution to this mystery was foundresearchers of ancient civilization only in the twentieth century. Prehistoric architects knew exactly where and at what time during the days of the ceremony the sun disk would rise. They were able to orient the doors of the temple according to the movement of the sun, through which the beam penetrated into the room and the room in which Ramses II was. The effect of this illusion was amazing - the subjects sincerely believed that the luminary itself points to the ruler.

This historical fact may provide one of the possible answers to the question: "What is a trick?" It is possible that this is the use of accumulated knowledge to achieve the desired result! This answer is quite likely.

Manipulators of Ancient Greece

The mystical illusions of the priests could not go unnoticed. In ancient Greece, magicians appeared during the Greco-Persian wars. But they showed their art not in temples, but at fairgrounds. Surprisingly, in the writings of the grammarian and rhetorician Alkifron (3rd century AD), there is a mention of a trick that has survived to this day. In his book, he describes how a traveling magician placed three goblets on the table and placed three pebbles. In an incredible way, the pebbles moved - they ended up under one goblet, then disappeared and were in the magician's mouth. And after that they completely disappeared, but the illusionist began to get them out of the pockets, ears or hair of the audience. The audience laughed and marveled at the agility of the performer, because magic tricks are, first of all, a witty and entertaining performance.

Illusion between science and quackery

The development of illusionary art in medieval Europe went side by side with quite scientific experiments. No one distinguished where magic and charlatanism were, and where experiments were in the field of chemistry or optics. This was done by many famous people whose names have survived to this day. The famous astrologer and soothsayer Michel Nostradamus (1503-1566) did not hesitate to show tricks. This, of course, increased the degree of its impact on the audience, avid for miracles and mysterious phenomena. A description of the optical experience that the great mystic demonstrated has been preserved. Through the opening panel in the ceiling, the assistants lowered the doll down, and then lifted it back and closed the hatch. Spectators watched this through a narrow gap in the wall, in which a trihedral transparent prism was mounted. She gave an "inverted" effect. It seemed that the doll rises from below and disappears there. The spectators were then let into the room and they examined the floor. But it was made of stone, I and any secret hatches were absent in it.

Reflection in works of art

The popularity of illusion displays became so widespread in the Middle Ages that many writers and artists could not ignore this topic. They reflected in their work some moments containing elements of sorcery or tricks. Science, magic or art - it is difficult to give a short definition of this phenomenon. But well-known classical works show their influence on medieval culture.

Dutch artist Pieter Brueghel the Elder (c. 1525–1569) on one ofof his paintings depicted the overthrow of the magician from the throne. Wandering artists were depicted on the canvas in the guise of devils. Another Dutchman, Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516), also turned to the image of wandering magicians, magicians and sorcerers in his work.

The connoisseur of medieval culture Goethe (1749-1832) in his "Faust" also paints magical pictures of the Middle Ages. Wine that gushes from the table and lights up, Margarita freeing herself from the shackles. Headless, carrying his severed head in his hands. All these tricks formed the basis of the repertoire of artists showing tricks. What is their secret and attraction for such a long time? Apparently, in the desire of people to penetrate the mystery and indestructible faith in miracles.

Infiltrating Russia

The first serious illusion shows in Russia were held with the participation of foreign guest performers. They were held in the largest theaters of that time. In Moscow, it was the site of the Maly Theatre, and in St. Petersburg, foreign illusions were shown on the stage of the Alexander Theatre. By this time, illusion art had been transformed. It began to widely use the technical innovations of that time. Gone are the days when magicians and sorcerers enjoyed cheap fairground performances. By all available means, they led the audience to the idea that magic tricks are serious.

Foreign guest performers in Russia

The 19th century was especially rich in demonstrations of such ideas in Russia. Many of the artists were true masters of their genre.

Karl Hermann is a representative of the famous family of European magicians. He was artistic, during the shows he joked a lot and turned the audience into his assistants. At the same time, he was one of the first who began to use large illusion equipment. In his repertoire was the trick "Boy in the air" - the performer leaned his hand on a long pole. At the same time, his legs were torn off the ground. At the request of the audience, the artist poured various drinks from the same bottle - from milk to champagne.

Karl Meckgold, who arrived on tour in Moscow, captivated the public so much that the newspapers of that time compared him with Schiller and Mozart in their art. In the hands of the artist, a copper coin turned into a frog, which, in turn, became a canary. The audience gave the artist scarves, watches, jewelry. All these items ended up in a violin that hung on the wall in a closed case.

The sorcerer and magician Bartolomeo Bosco subdued the demanding public. His performances of Egyptian magic caused a flurry of enthusiastic responses. The artist himself appeared before the audience in a sleeveless suit. All the props he used were extremely simple - open tables on thin legs, no tablecloths in which to hide something. It seemed that objects really disappear and appear, obeying the desire of the artist. The audience agreed that the experiments (tricks) demonstrated by Bosco were magic.

The first Russian magicians

Notlagged behind from foreign colleagues and Russian magicians. History has preserved the names of some of them. In 1828, behind the Rogozhskaya Zastava there was an arena for baiting animals. A certain Karasev spoke there - he showed "unusual mechanical experiments." Under the supervision of the audience, the performer hid a manual chronometer in a box, but it disappeared. A bird appeared in place of the clock. The jewelry hidden in the same box was found in the viewer's pocket.

In another amphitheater, near the Tver Gates, the magician Solovyov performed. In the poster, he called himself a "fireproof man." His experiments (stunts) were related to fire.

In 1835, Nikulin, a former mechanic, gave his magical performance on the stage of the Maly Theater in Moscow. A skilled craftsman, he used many self-made illusion devices in his shows. And there was also information about the performance in the same years of such Russian magicians as Kuparenko, Vasily Korchagin and Ivan Martin.

Although it is important to note that the public perceived the performances of home-grown Russian artists colder than the performances of their foreign counterparts. Dictionaries of the Russian language reflect the attitude to this type of art in Russia through the meaning of the word "focus" - buffoonery, trouble, deceit.

During the Soviet period

Without a doubt, the most powerful development was the art of illusion in the Soviet Union. New illusion rides and small numbers were created. Gradually, catchy foreign names that Russian magicians traditionally took for themselves became a thing of the past. The attitude towardsartists, and an understanding of what focus is. The magical and mystical background of this phenomenon is a thing of the past. The best representatives of the genre seemed to invite the audience into the game and say: “Now you will be deceived, but you can uncover this deception.”

The famous illusionist E. T. Keogh, the first Soviet woman illusionist Cleo Dorothy (Klavdia Karasik) can be attributed to the number of such masters. The tradition of using technical innovations in illusion was brilliantly continued by Anatoly Sokol. Otar Ratiani created the original attraction "The Invisible Man" based on the novel by G. Wells. Another masterpiece of the illusionary score of the Soviet circus is Ilya Symbolokov's "Water Extravaganza". And at the end of Anatoly Shag-Novozhilov's performance, a whole field of eared rye and folk round dances appeared on the circus arena. Artists of the Soviet circus did not just show tricks - they developed their art, made it social and topical.

Miracles never end

So what is the attraction that tricks carry? Everyone can do magic with their own hands - apparently, this is precisely their popularity and longevity. After all, it is not necessary to become a professional artist-sorcerer. A large amount of available literature makes it possible to master simple but effective tricks. Yes, and large props are not required for this - a deck of cards, a handkerchief, a few coins or balls. And the astonished eyes of the audience, like a time machine, are able to transfer the performer for millennia deep into the centuries. After all, this is how the ancient Egyptians looked atmiracles taking place in the temple of Pharaoh Ramses in 1260 BC.