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

This is Eugène Cicéri’s "Design for a Stage Set at the Opéra, Paris," made with graphite and possibly charcoal on paper. The initial impression is one of dynamic instability, created through the jagged, vertical thrust of a sketched mountain landscape. Note how Cicéri employed cross-hatching to build volume and texture, contrasting light and shadow to enhance depth. The composition defies traditional perspective, presenting a fragmented view that disorients our sense of space. This was a period of intense artistic experimentation, where the formal qualities of a work—its lines, shapes, and composition—were becoming primary subjects in their own right. The gridded structure beneath the sketch hints at the intersection of art and engineering. The incomplete nature of the sketch invites speculation about the final form. It's a fascinating intersection of Romanticism's sublime landscapes with the burgeoning industrial precision of the 19th century.