Theater met neergelaten gordijn waar doorheen een acteur de zaal inkijkt 1875

Eugène Andrè Champollion created this print, depicting a theater scene, sometime before his death in 1901. The image captures a moment of anticipation as an actor peers through a parted curtain towards a crowded audience. Champollion made this artwork during a time when theater was a central aspect of cultural life. The architecture of the theater, with its tiered seating, reflects the social hierarchies of the time, reminding us of the class distinctions inherent in the audience. What do you think it meant to be present in this kind of space? Who was allowed in, and who was not? The gaze of the actor holds a certain power. They are both performer and observer, and their presence challenges the conventional boundaries between the stage and the auditorium. Consider how this role challenges the traditional representations of actors and audiences. It invites us to explore the complex interplay of identity and performance.