About this artwork
Free rehearsals of the classical concerts conducted by Jules-Étienne Pasdeloup were a popular event in late- 19th-century Paris. John Singer Sargent attended the performances, drawing inspiration from the “odd picturesqueness”—as a fellow artist put it—of the steep view from the upper seats. This composition shows Sargent’s perceptive use of Impressionist techniques to depict modern, urban subjects. He employed thin, abbreviated brushstrokes to capture the rich atmosphere and graphic qualities of the amphitheater’s architecture, the musicians, their sheet music and instruments, and the circus performers gathered in the foreground.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Arts of the Americas
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Artist
- John Singer Sargent
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Title
- Rehearsal of the Pasdeloup Orchestra at the Cirque d'Hiver
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Place
- Paris (Object made in)
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Date
- c. 1879
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Medium
- Oil on canvas
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Inscriptions
- Signed and dedicated recto, bottom-left, on wall, in brown paint: "To G. Henschel / John S. Sargent".
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Dimensions
- 93 × 73 cm (36 5/8 × 28 3/4 in.)
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Credit Line
- Anonymous loan
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Reference Number
- 81.1972
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/121628/manifest.json