The application of Heinrich Wlfflin's categorical pairs in the study of Spanish theatre stylistics using two plays based on the same plot as an example

This article examines the relationship between the Renaissance and the Baroque periods in Spanish theatre of the Golden Age, using two plays on the same plot by different authors: Lope de Vega and Francisco de Rojas Zorrilla. It examines five pairs of opposing categories (linear – painterly, planar – recessional, closed form – open form, multiplicity – unity, clarity – obscurity) proposed by the art theorist Heinrich Wlfflin for analysing spatial works of art, and considers how these categories can be applied to the spatio-temporal art of theatre. The author's aim was to demonstrate the relevance of Wlfflin's methodology to the study of dramatic performances. The two artistic styles mentioned above serve as objects of comparison. The subjects of the study were the texts of the plays themselves and some well-known features of staging in Golden Age Spanish theatre. Comparative analysis was the main research method, allowing us to trace the key differences in the aesthetic coordinates of contemporary playwrights, namely Lope de Vega and Francisco de Rojas Zorrilla, using specific examples. These differences stem not only from the individual style of each author, but also from the peculiarities of their artistic worldview and the functioning patterns of each style. This study is novel in that neither play has previously been translated into Russian and Wlfflin's categorical pairs have not been considered in the context of Spanish Golden Age theatre. The results of the study concluded the effectiveness of G. Wlfflin's methodology when applied to theatre. A comparison of two plays, Castelvines y Monteses by Lope de Vega and Los bandos de Verona by Francisco de Rojas Zorrilla, amply demonstrated that Wlfflin's formal approach is relevant to dramatic productions, confirming stylistic differences in both the spatial arts and the spatio-temporal art of theatre.