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

Eugène Cicéri created this stage set design for the Paris Opéra with graphite on paper. Notice how the composition, seemingly simple, evokes a sense of depth and theatrical space through its layered depiction of trees. Cicéri's strategic use of lines creates a visual rhythm, drawing the eye upwards and into the suggested scene. The irregular shape of the paper itself becomes part of the design, influencing how we perceive the represented space. The cool grey tones lend a certain atmospheric quality, a sense of the staged artifice that is both naturalistic and artificial. This sketch challenges fixed meanings about landscape art; it destabilizes the boundary between reality and illusion, inviting reflection on the constructed nature of our perceptions. It is a complex interplay between form and representation where the materiality and structure are intertwined with their visual effect.