Artwork
Opéra (Rostral Column)
Opéra (Rostral Column) is a photography by the Impressionist artist Charles Marville. It dates from 1875 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
You see a street scene in Paris with a big column in the center.
The column is a Rostral Column, which was a common monument in France. It's interesting that the artist chose to paint this scene at night, with gas lamps lighting up the street.
Check out the work of artist Charles Marville (French, 1813–1879) for more scenes like this.
Overview
Opéra (Rostral Column) is a photograph depicting a nocturnal Parisian street scene, centered around a Rostral Column illuminated by gas streetlights.
Subject & Meaning
The subject is a Rostral Column, a common French monument, set amidst the city's transition to gas lighting in the 1800s. The image captures the intersection of architectural heritage and modernizing urban infrastructure.
Technique & Style
The photograph leverages the dramatic effect of nighttime photography, highlighting the glow of gas lamps against the dark backdrop, a technique reminiscent of Charles Marville's urban nightscapes.
Context
Created during a period of significant urban renewal under Napoleon III, the photograph reflects Paris's transformation, including the construction of the new opera house, later immortalized in The Phantom of the Opera.
Legacy
While not directly influencing later adaptations of The Phantom of the Opera, the photograph provides a visual record of the era's Paris, contextualizing the setting of the 1910 novel and its subsequent adaptations.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles Marville, the pseudonym of Charles François Bossu, was a French photographer, who mainly photographed architecture, landscapes and the urban environment.
La Belle Jardinère: le magasin de la rue de la Cité pendant sa demolition, Paris
View of the Small Grotto toward the Deer Pond, Bois de Boulogne
Sky Study, Paris
Portico of the Château d'Anet, now at the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris
Fontaine du Jardin du Luxembourg (grotte de Marie de Médécis)
Rue Jean-de-Beauvais. Vue prise de la rue des Écoles vers la boulevard Saint-Germain, en travaux
Tympanum, Strasbourg Cathedral
Rue de la Ferronnerie
Pavilion Richelieu, Louvre, Paris
Untitled (Place des Cordeliers)
Fountain of the L'École Polytechnique
Untitled
Untitled (Construction of Commemorative Fountain)
Cour d'honneur, Versailles, France
Rue du Regard
Street in Dijon
Sculptures - The Colossal Horses, with the Statues of Castor and Pollux, the work of Phidias and Praxiteles (now in the Piazza di Monte Cavallo)
Place de l'Opera