Rehearsal of the Pasdeloup Orchestra at the Cirque d'Hiver

Sargent, John Singer (1856-1925)

Item type:

painting

Date of creation:

ca. 1879

Height:

57.2 cm  (22 1/2 in.)

Width:

46.0 cm  (18 1/8 in.)

Technique / Medium:

oil on canvas

Description

Excerpt from extensive commentary on museum website:
Jules Etienne Pasdeloup (1819–1887) conducted an orchestra in Paris for nearly three decades in the latter half of the nineteenth century and was a champion of controversial modern composers. He rehearsed his orchestra at the Cirque d’Hiver, an ornate Second Empire indoor amphitheater. Sargent, an ardent amateur musician, frequently attended Pasdeloup’s concerts and depicted them several times. This picture is his most abstract treatment of the subject and represents one of his boldest experimentations with Impressionism. The picture’s monochrome palette, painterly execution, and energetic composition suggest both the dance of musical notes across a page and the vital sound of the music itself. This canvas was first owned by another expatriate American painter, Henry Bacon [13.1692], who reproduced it in his 1883 book Parisian Art and Artists; it may have been painted for him.
In addition to this remarkable small painting, executed in Paris early in Sargent’s career, a larger version exists at the Art Institute of Chicago (on loan from a private collection).

People as subjects

Pasdeloup, Jules (1819-1887) (Conductor)
Orchestre Pasdeloup

Iconclass

48C7531
large group of musicians, orchestra
48C77
conductor ~ music

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Kettledrum [2887]
Side drum [2729]
Double bass [3111]
Trombone [4369]
Trumpet [4446]
Violin [3573]
Pianoforte [2299]
Wind instruments [3730]

RIdIM images

Image URLs

image link 2

RIdIM record id

5850