Design for a Stage Set at the Opéra, Paris 1828 - 1890

Editor: Here we have Eugène Cicéri’s "Design for a Stage Set at the Opéra, Paris," created sometime between 1828 and 1890, using watercolor, ink, charcoal, and paper. I find it really captivating, almost haunting in its sketch-like quality. What strikes you when you look at this piece? Curator: The layered, incomplete nature really pulls me in. Beyond just architectural rendering, it feels like a palimpsest. Consider the stage: it's a space designed to hold narratives, but here it becomes a narrative in itself, reflecting the history of the opera house and perhaps even echoing previous performances. Notice how Cicéri uses the light and shadow to create an atmosphere of anticipation? Editor: That's interesting! The "palimpsest" idea makes me think about the layers of performances and stories built into a place. Curator: Exactly! Think about the function of architectural designs themselves – they’re liminal, placeholders of grander designs to come. This particular scene, though static now, probably intends to conjure dynamic experiences that touch us at core emotional levels, the tragic and the comic – as opera always does. How do you think this incomplete quality affects our understanding of Parisian society at the time? Editor: Well, maybe it’s speaking to a kind of ephemeral feeling linked to spectacle... Curator: Or even hinting at an elusive search for some past glory within Parisian society… a lost symbol of national pride that haunts them to this very day? It’s amazing to think about how simple watercolors and charcoal strokes can point towards such grand societal emotions! Editor: This has certainly broadened my understanding; I came in with a simple appreciation for the draftsmanship and now I am pondering what the artist attempted to symbolize through form!