Audience at a Parisian Theatre I

In 1871 Boldini moved to Paris and befriended Edgar Degas, who became a mentor to the artist. These two sketchbook pages reflect the novel viewpoints and bold compositional devices of Degas’s innovative theater scenes, such as Ballet at the Paris Opéra. Here the perspective in Degas’s work—from the audience, looking over the orchestra toward the stage—has shifted to the orchestra’s view of the audience.