Page 9 - Maastricht 2022 Catalogue

2 Georges Clairin

STUDY FOR THE CEILING OF THE EDEN THEATRE

Georges Clairin was a multi-faceted and eclectic artist; he was Painted in a semi-circle, like an oversized fan (Clairin also painted
an Orientalist, a portraitist (most well-known for his depictions fans), the artist has included a veritable “smorgasbord” of theatre
of Sarah Bernhardt) and even at times a Symbolist. He was as imagery in his ceiling decoration. Ballerinas do pirouettes as they
comfortable seated in front of an easel as he was climbing up dance out of the picture, almost replicating their exit off the stage.
scaffolding to paint the ceiling decorations or murals for many of The center figure group reclines on the wings of a butterfly with
France’s most emblematic monuments, such as the Paris Opéra, the face of a hybrid sock and buskin mask. Located in the center is
the Bourse de Commerce, the Sorbonne and the Hôtel de Ville. a model with outstretched arms reminiscent of the main figure in
Our painting is a large-scale oil study for one of his most popular Carpeaux’s La Danse on the façade of Garnier’s Opéra. Playful putti
commissions, the ceiling decoration for the Eden Theatre in Paris. play tambourines and help lift the butterfly group above the clouds.

Called “not only the most beautiful venue in Paris, [but] also the A pastel study for the ceiling of the Eden Theatre is in the Collection
best” in the Annales du Théâtre et de la musique (1885, p. 535), the of the Musée d’Orsay, Paris.
Eden Theatre was built in 1883 on 7, rue Boudreau. It was located
near Garnier’s Opéra and was larger in scale and decorated in an
Orientalist style inspired by Mughal architecture. It could hold 1,200
seats and 500-600 performers on stage at one time. The programs
included ballets, operas and musicals; in fact the first act of Wagner’s
Walkyries debuted in 1886. However, the Eden was designed to be
more than a theatre; it was also an entertainment destination with
several interior venues, including indoor gardens decorated with
giant palm trees, artificial grottos and there was even a velodrome.
Sadly, the colossal structure was largely demolished in 1895 due to
ongoing financial difficulties and eventual bankruptcy.

Fortunately, Clairin’s oil study provides a glimpse of what was
once the theater’s opulent painted ceiling. It is dedicated it to
William Klein and Albert Duclos, the Eden’s architects. Because
the building itself was based on an Orientalist style, Clairin was the
ideal candidate to paint the interior given his history in painting the
genre, however, his subject choice had more to do with theatrical Eden Theatre, interior
iconography, suggesting perhaps he was chosen as “painter-
decorator” because of his connection with reigning stage star, Sarah
Bernhardt.

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