Seventh Performance: Les Tisserands, for Le Théatre Libre 1892 - 1893

Henri-Gabriel Ibels created this print, "Seventh Performance: Les Tisserands, for Le Théatre Libre." The lithograph is a study in contrasts, split between dark and light. The lower portion is dominated by muted colors, conveying the somber mood of labor. The workers are rendered with coarse lines, as if they are emerging from the darkness. Above, the sky burns with a fiery orange, starkly contrasting the blue and grey buildings. This juxtaposition might evoke a sense of impending doom. Ibels uses the structure of theatrical presentation itself as a framing device. The rows of names—the dramatis personae—become a visual element. This contrasts with the dark tones and rough textures of the workers, who are part of a wider social drama. In the end, it's the formal qualities of the work—the way the composition is structured, how light and dark are deployed—that shape our understanding. We are left contemplating a commentary on the theater of social class.