Design for a Stage Set at the Opéra, Paris 1830 - 1890

Editor: This is Eugène Cicéri’s "Design for a Stage Set at the Opéra, Paris," made sometime between 1830 and 1890 using pencil and print. It gives me the impression of a building façade that's grand yet somehow melancholic, maybe even a little lonely? I'm curious, what draws your eye when you look at this work? Curator: Loneliness, huh? I feel that! For me, it’s the quiet confidence of the artist. Notice how the sketchiness lends an ephemeral quality—like catching a fleeting glimpse of a Parisian dreamscape. It’s as if Cicéri is whispering, "Imagine this! A world of drama, unfolding under gaslight." I mean, you can almost hear the rustle of the curtains, can’t you? But do you feel that constraint on the drawing and material as well? The tearing of the medium gives it all an appearance that reminds me of destruction... Editor: Yes, I see the tearing, too! Almost as if, at any moment, the stage might collapse and be lost to time... Speaking of time, that era was bursting with huge theatrical productions, right? Curator: Absolutely. Consider this, though. Stage design then wasn't just decoration, it was atmosphere, storytelling. Cicéri wasn't just drawing a building; he was crafting an illusion, a mood, a history—perhaps even suggesting what parts were meant to stand the test of time, while others are purposefully transient, in line with the performance's run. That's an important perspective, isn't it? Editor: That's fascinating, like he's playing with both permanence and transience! So much more than just backdrop. I'll never look at stage design the same way again. Curator: Exactly! And I appreciate your insight on that initial sense of melancholy – makes me see how much personal feeling Cicéri brought into a collaborative theatrical endeavor. Beautiful, really.