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

This is Eugène Cicéri’s stage set design of a Lighthouse, made with watercolor and graphite. The irregular shape is as striking as the image it holds. The structure is divided between areas of light and shadow. It is dominated by an almost theatrical contrast between the solid blacks and browns which frame lighter sections of the sketch. Cicéri masterfully orchestrates a play between form and content. Notice how the texture and tones destabilize fixed meanings. At the very left, what seems like a tree is in stark opposition with the lighthouse at the center. The composition is divided into a series of contrasts and oppositions between dark and light, natural and man-made, drawing the viewer's eye across the scene. The foreground merges and melts to create a sense of instability. It is an artwork that captures the cultural codes of romanticism while proposing new ways of thinking about space. Cicéri uses line and shading to create depth and atmosphere and to emphasize the transient and uncertain nature of the stage itself.