Audience at a Parisian Theatre I
Giovanni Boldini
c. 1885
Medium
Graphite on cream wove paper
Dimensions
8.9 × 15.1 cm (3 9/16 × 6 in.)
Classification
graphite
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
203321
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In 1871 Boldini moved to Paris and befriended Edgar Degas, who became a mentor to the artist. These two sketchbook pages reflect the novel viewpoints and bold compositional devices of Degas’s innovative theater scenes, such as Ballet at the Paris Opéra. Here the perspective in Degas’s work—from the audience, looking over the orchestra toward the stage—has shifted to the orchestra’s view of the audience.