Summer Concert c. 1895 - 1900

Curator: Oh, I adore this! The whole thing breathes such life, capturing that fleeting joy of creation. Editor: Yes, it’s quite immediate. What are we looking at? Curator: This is "Summer Concert," a lithograph by Jules Chéret, probably created around 1895 to 1900. Chéret was a master of Belle Époque posters; he transformed the streets of Paris into open-air art galleries, really. Editor: One certainly gets a sense of process here; it is an artwork depicting an artist at work. We can see how he constructs depth with cross-hatching and values, the nervous energy implicit in the build up of marks suggesting the initial fervor in composing his poster. Note how the composition is organized around the artist's gesture, which unifies the composition. Curator: Absolutely. I imagine him hunched over, the air thick with anticipation for this "Summer Concert" he's conjuring. I'm particularly drawn to the hints of these dancing figures on the poster, evoking a lightness and fantasy, but what truly gets me is his intent gaze: I want to know his secrets, you know? Editor: The figures themselves do indeed contribute to a festive mood, perhaps. Semiotically, it's all surface—decorative, and, of course, utterly of its time. What I appreciate, however, is Chéret's manipulation of positive and negative space and his line economy to focus our attention on the construction of the work itself. Note how the stool is relatively unresolved. Curator: I’ll meet you on that last point, for sure. I can almost smell the ink and hear the music swelling. A peek behind the curtain – messy, joyful, and utterly alive! Editor: Yes, its incompleteness is integral to the aesthetic value. Indeed, reflecting upon this work leaves me feeling quite at peace, having a sense of a beginning and not an end.