The Magician of Venice: A study of the polymath Mariano Fortuny shines a light on the development of Wagnerian theatre, finds Patrick Carnegy

Although the Spanish-born Mariano Fortuny (1871–1949) is known principally for his haute-couture pleated fabrics, still in exclusive production today, he also played an important role in the development of the stage lighting we now take for granted. On the Wagnerian stage this found its apotheosis in Wieland Wagner’s postwar productions where the subtlest gradations of light from unseen sources were a principal weapon of directorial magic, a strategy that has come to be known as Lichtregie and has long been commonplace in theatres worldwide.