Suicide in the Golden Age
Pierrot se suicident (Pierrot Committing Suicide), 1887
Adolphe-Leon Willette
Silhouette for the shadow play L'Âge d'Or (The Golden Age)
Created by Henri Rivière with Henry Somm in 1886 on the third floor of the Chat Noir's second venue, the shadow theatre became its most popular attraction. In the early days of the shadow theatre, a pianist would often improvise a musical score during the performances, while Rudolphe Salis provided lively commentaries. Using sophisticated machinery and up to twelve technicians, the productions were animated by silhouettes of zinc figures, sometimes with the addition of more detailed props and landscape elements. Light from an open flame was projected from backstage onto the figures, conjuring complex atmospheric effects. The plays ranged from solemn epics to fairy tales and satires, sometimes including archetypes from the Commedia dell'arte tradition such as the sad clown Pierrot. In L'Âge d'Or (The Golden Age, 1887), Pierrot is the tragic victim of his unrequited love for Columvine and in Pierrot pornographe (Pierrot Pornographer, 1893), he goes on trial for creating a painting of Columbine naked.
La Tentation de Saint Antoine (The Temptation of St Anthony) was the Chat Noir's first major shadow theatre production and is perhaps Henri Rivière's best-known play. Premiering on 28 December 1887, it was inspired by Gustave Flaubert's fantastical prose-poem published in 1874 about the legendary life of St Antony, who was haunted by visions and tempted by the Devil. The play chronicles Anthony's life as a hermit in the Egyptian desert and the many temptations he face, until successfully overcoming his torments.
[Barbican Centre]
Le Chat Noir - Paris, 1881 Le Chat Noir cabaret club was founded by eccentric storytelling show man and entrepreneur, Rodolphe Salis. Its eclectic interior had a medieval feel, crammed with objects and images from different eras and it soon became the exciting epicentre of the artistic avant-garde in France. Its outpouring of spontaneous poetry performances, visual arts, improvised performances, satirical songs and debates on contemporary politics became legendary. Its ‘open stage’ meant no two evenings were ever the same, with performers rising to their feet as inspiration struck or the mood took them!
Le Chat Noir is particularly known for its famous and influential shadow theatre which was initiated in 1886 by Henri Rivière. Be inspired by these shadow plays and work by other figures associated with Le Chat Noir including: artist Toulouse Lautrec, dancer Jane Avril, cabaret singer Aristide Bruand, composer Claude Debussy, poet Paul Verlaine and the group of artists known as the Incoherants whose satirical work, prefigured both Dada and Surrealism.
[Barbican Centre]
From Into the Night: Cabarets & Clubs in Modern Art
(October 2019 to January 2020)
Spanning the 1880s to the 1960s, Into the Night celebrates the creative spaces where artists congregated to push the boundaries of artistic expression. The exhibition offers insight into the heady atmosphere of Berlin clubs in Weimar Germany; the energy of Harlem’s jazz scene; the vibrant context of the Mbari clubs in 1960s Nigeria; and many more.
Taken in the Barbican
Suicide in the Golden Age
Pierrot se suicident (Pierrot Committing Suicide), 1887
Adolphe-Leon Willette
Silhouette for the shadow play L'Âge d'Or (The Golden Age)
Created by Henri Rivière with Henry Somm in 1886 on the third floor of the Chat Noir's second venue, the shadow theatre became its most popular attraction. In the early days of the shadow theatre, a pianist would often improvise a musical score during the performances, while Rudolphe Salis provided lively commentaries. Using sophisticated machinery and up to twelve technicians, the productions were animated by silhouettes of zinc figures, sometimes with the addition of more detailed props and landscape elements. Light from an open flame was projected from backstage onto the figures, conjuring complex atmospheric effects. The plays ranged from solemn epics to fairy tales and satires, sometimes including archetypes from the Commedia dell'arte tradition such as the sad clown Pierrot. In L'Âge d'Or (The Golden Age, 1887), Pierrot is the tragic victim of his unrequited love for Columvine and in Pierrot pornographe (Pierrot Pornographer, 1893), he goes on trial for creating a painting of Columbine naked.
La Tentation de Saint Antoine (The Temptation of St Anthony) was the Chat Noir's first major shadow theatre production and is perhaps Henri Rivière's best-known play. Premiering on 28 December 1887, it was inspired by Gustave Flaubert's fantastical prose-poem published in 1874 about the legendary life of St Antony, who was haunted by visions and tempted by the Devil. The play chronicles Anthony's life as a hermit in the Egyptian desert and the many temptations he face, until successfully overcoming his torments.
[Barbican Centre]
Le Chat Noir - Paris, 1881 Le Chat Noir cabaret club was founded by eccentric storytelling show man and entrepreneur, Rodolphe Salis. Its eclectic interior had a medieval feel, crammed with objects and images from different eras and it soon became the exciting epicentre of the artistic avant-garde in France. Its outpouring of spontaneous poetry performances, visual arts, improvised performances, satirical songs and debates on contemporary politics became legendary. Its ‘open stage’ meant no two evenings were ever the same, with performers rising to their feet as inspiration struck or the mood took them!
Le Chat Noir is particularly known for its famous and influential shadow theatre which was initiated in 1886 by Henri Rivière. Be inspired by these shadow plays and work by other figures associated with Le Chat Noir including: artist Toulouse Lautrec, dancer Jane Avril, cabaret singer Aristide Bruand, composer Claude Debussy, poet Paul Verlaine and the group of artists known as the Incoherants whose satirical work, prefigured both Dada and Surrealism.
[Barbican Centre]
From Into the Night: Cabarets & Clubs in Modern Art
(October 2019 to January 2020)
Spanning the 1880s to the 1960s, Into the Night celebrates the creative spaces where artists congregated to push the boundaries of artistic expression. The exhibition offers insight into the heady atmosphere of Berlin clubs in Weimar Germany; the energy of Harlem’s jazz scene; the vibrant context of the Mbari clubs in 1960s Nigeria; and many more.
Taken in the Barbican