In the Upper Gallery (Au Paradis)

Description

In the Upper Gallery turns the viewer’s attention away from the stage and toward its audience. Édouard Manet groups spectators along a railing, their hats and faces gathering into a lively succession of dark gestures and lighter openings. A woman at the left and figures behind and to the right share the close space, making the gallery feel crowded without describing every person in equal detail.

Created in 1877, the lithographic image was printed by Ferdinand Lefman using a transfer relief process. Its quick, concentrated marks give the audience an immediacy that suits the social activity of watching. The rail organizes the foreground, while the varied heads keep the scene restless. Manet makes spectatorship itself the subject, finding visual energy in the people assembled to look elsewhere.

Read our guide to giclée prints, browse more Édouard Manet prints, or explore The Races (Les Courses).