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

Editor: This is Eugène Cicéri's "Design for a Stage Set at the Opéra, Paris," created sometime between 1830 and 1890, using watercolor and print. It has a really dreamlike, almost surreal quality with that long, horizontal composition and the stark contrast between the pale landscape and the black background. What jumps out at you when you look at this? Curator: What strikes me is the power dynamic inherent in staging and representation. Think about 19th-century Paris, the Opéra as a site of societal spectacle. Landscape, even a fantastical one like this, isn’t just scenery. Whose landscapes were being consumed? Who had the power to create these worlds and invite an audience in? Editor: That's an interesting perspective! I was more focused on the pure aesthetic. Are you suggesting this relates to colonial landscapes presented on stage? Curator: Exactly! The Romantic era’s obsession with the "exotic" often translated into theatrical productions that, consciously or not, reinforced power structures. Even without specific geographical indicators, the very act of staging a landscape—controlling the visual narrative—becomes a statement about ownership and control. Consider how women, the working class, and people of color were depicted – or not depicted – on these stages. The black background, especially, feels like a void where those stories should be. Editor: I see what you mean. I hadn't considered the implications of that background before; I'd just thought of it as, well, darkness! This really opens up new questions. Curator: It pushes us to think beyond the pretty picture, and interrogate what stories are being told, whose perspectives are prioritized, and what gets erased in the process. Editor: Definitely given me something to consider in my art history studies. I really appreciate that different lens for understanding landscape art.