Theatre des Varietes Large 

Antoine Blanchard, who was born in 1910, painted ‘Theatre des Varietes Large’ capturing a Parisian street scene with oil on canvas. Blanchard, born Marcel Masson, adopted his pseudonym to distance himself from his family’s history and find success as an artist. The painting is awash with the hustle and bustle of urban life, yet holds a stillness, too. The grand architecture of Paris forms the backdrop to this theatre of modern life. The muted palette and the diffuse lighting evoke a nostalgic mood, a remembrance of a bygone era. Blanchard does not overtly challenge existing artistic norms, he nevertheless invites us to consider the relationship between the personal and the historical. He captures Paris, not as a mere city, but as a repository of memory and identity. The reflection in the wet street almost creates a mirror that speaks to time and identity. Through Blanchard's lens, we witness the shifting identities of a city and its people. It is a delicate balance between the intimate and the collective.