Images of Chinese Women in the History of European Opera Art

The subject of the study is the artistic and ideological features of the images of Chinese women in European opera from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. Special attention is paid to the analysis of lesser-known operatic works, such as "Teuzzone" by A. Vivaldi, "The Chinese Woman" by C.W. Gluck, and "The Oracle" by F. Leoncavallo, which preceded the famous "Turandot" by G. Puccini. The research aims to reveal the evolution of operatic images of Chinese women, from decorative and allegorical figures of the chinoiserie era to realistic heroines of verismo drama in the early 20th century. An important aspect is the consideration of the socio-cultural and artistic context influencing the formation of these images, as well as the identification of the relationship between European aesthetics, cultural stereotypes, and the artistic representation of Chinese women on the operatic stage. The methodological basis of the study combines historical-cultural, musicological, and comparative analysis, which allows for an examination of the formation, evolution, and specifics of the artistic images of Chinese women in European opera from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the systematic study of the lesser-known images of Chinese women in European opera, which reveals new aspects of European Orientalism and the evolution of the chinoiserie style. The work demonstrates that the images of Chinese women evolved from decorative, allegorical, and conventional characters of the Baroque and Rococo eras to more psychologically detailed and tragic heroines of early 20th-century verismo drama. Despite the striving for realism, these images remained products of European perceptions of China and reflected the interests and aesthetic ideals of Western society. The results of the research are useful for musicologists, cultural scholars, theater researchers, as well as directors and scenographers in staging operas, expanding the understanding of the mechanisms of interpretation and transformation of exotic images in European culture.