The Evolution of Decorative Art: From Street Performance to Cinematic Virtual Worlds

The article is devoted to the study of the evolutionary process of decorative art. The scenery, being one of the forms of visual communication with the viewer, is an integral part of any performance. This article describes the historical and theoretical foundations for the formation of scenery. The result of the analysis is a historical scale that clearly shows the evolution of decorative art in connection with the architecture of theatrical structures and design features. The authors identified 3 main stages in the development of scenery. This process was directly related to the change in the space of the theater itself and its technical arrangement. The first stage covers the period from the Ancient World to the Middle Ages. The second stage is associated with the appearance of theater architecture in classical modern typology before the advent of cinema. The third stage is connected with the division of decorative art into the areas of theater and cinema and before the replacement of physical scenery with special effects. The results obtained during the study will be used by the authors as historical background for further study of the scenery in the field of cinema and television series.