Artwork

At the Concert Parisien

At the Concert Parisien, by Georges Seurat, 1888
At the Concert Parisien, by Georges Seurat, 1888

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

Portrait of Georges Seurat

Artist

Georges Seurat

Georges Pierre Seurat (UK: SUR-ah, -⁠ə, US: suu-RAH; French: ; 2 December 1859 – 29 March 1891) was a French post-Impressionist artist.

This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: Cleveland Museum of Art open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.