Artwork
At the Concert Parisien

At the Concert Parisien is a drawing by the Impressionist artist Georges Seurat. It dates from 1888 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
You see a crowd at a café-concert in Paris. A woman sings on stage while men in hats listen. The artist drew this from a unique angle, looking through the men’s hats.
Seurat used a waxy black crayon. The lines are sharp but soft. It feels like a snapshot, not a posed scene.
Look for more works by Georges Seurat (French, 1859–1891) at The Cleveland Museum of Art.
Overview
At the Concert Parisien is a drawing by Georges Seurat, capturing a scene at a Parisian café-concert, a popular entertainment venue for the middle class in the late 19th century.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing depicts a female singer performing on stage to an audience of men, their bowler hats partially obscuring the view, creating a sense of being among the crowd.
Technique & Style
Seurat employed a Conté black crayon, leveraging its waxy texture to achieve a range of tonal effects on the paper, resulting in sharp yet soft lines that convey a sense of immediacy.
Context
This work is part of a series of eight café-concert drawings by Seurat, some of which document known establishments, reflecting the artist's interest in contemporary urban entertainment.
Artist & collection
Artist
Georges Pierre Seurat (UK: SUR-ah, -ə, US: suu-RAH; French: ; 2 December 1859 – 29 March 1891) was a French post-Impressionist artist.



















