Lebanese university

Faculty of fine art and

architecture
Branche4-Deir el Qamar

OPERA GARNIER

HISTORY AND THEORIES OF

MODERN ARCHITECTURE
MOHAMAD JAZZAR
 POLITICAL AND HISTORICAL ISSUES

Napoleon III
• France has had a long, tumultuous history.
1808-1873
Revolutions, beheadings, wars - France has had
many trials throughout the years.

• In 1858, outside the entrance to the opera,

Napoleon III survived an assassination attempt by
Italian nationalists.

• This inspired him to build an opera house with a more

secure entrance, to be called the Académie Impériale de
Musique et de Danse, or the Imperial Academy of
Music and Dance.

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 Competition
• In December of 1860, the Emperor announced that Charles Garnier
there would be a design competition for the new
1825-1898
opera house.

• Of the 171 architects that applied worldwide,

one man was chosen. His name was Charles
Garnier, a yet unknown 32 year old architect.

• His design solved the problem of accommodating

large audiences

• Before the new opera house could be built, the land

the Emperor chose had to be cleared.
 TIMELINE

• The opera’s foundation stone was laid in 1862 Opera GARNIER

under
construction1866
• The work lasted more than 10 years because
of budget restrictions, the Franco-Prussian
War,

1858 1860 1862 1875

Inspiration Competition foundation opera house

stone was was opened to
laid the public

• During the Prussian War, the unfinished building was

converted into a camp where they stored food and straws.
 LOCATION

• By 1847,Claude-Philibert de Rambuteau, had

selected a site on the east side of the Place du
Palais-Royal as part of an extension of the
Rue de Rivoli.

• The site was later used for the Grand Hôtel

du Louvre (designed in part by Charles
Rohault

Grand
Hôtel du
Louvre

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CONSTRUCTION PROBLEMS

• One of the reasons why the project took so

long to be completed was the presence of a
considerable amount of water in the soil.

• The foundation problems were solved by

Garnier creating a system that drained the
groundwater into a cistern; he was able to
build on top of that, creating a double-walled
foundation.

• The foundation of the Paris Opera House is

made of concrete.

• He tried to use modern materials, like metal.

Instead of the expensive and time consuming
process of gold leaf decorating .

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 AUDITORIUM
Audience STADIUM

• The auditorium has a traditional Italian

horseshoe shape

• Can seat 1,979 audience

• The stage is the largest in

Europe

• Can accommodate as many as

450 artists

AUDITORIUM ZONE
 AUDITORIUM
OPTIMA
• The Palais Garnier is structured like a CAT1
typical opera house with an orchestra and CAT2
balcony surrounded by loges. CAT3
CAT4
• Best Seats in the Theatre: Centre seats CAT5
facing orchestra section or any seat in the CAT6
balcony section. CAT7

• Best Value for Money Seats: Last row corner STAGE

seats in the orchestra section.

The canvas house curtain was

painted to represent a draped
curtain ,complete with tassels and
braid
AUDITORIUM BACKSTAGE STAGE AUDITORIUM GRAND GRAND LOUNG
FOYER ESCALIER AREA

STAGE

• The Palais Garnier’s vast stage is

the largest in Europe, measuring 52
meters wide by 62 meters high, vast
enough to fit the Arc de Triomphe

• Following a concept which already

existed in other opera houses in
Italy, Garnier added a slight incline
to the stage 5% incline

• . It allow visitors to have a better view. With such incredible

measures, the 5% incline means that the stage is one meter higher
at the back than the front.
Grand foyer

• This hall 18 meters high ,154 meters long and

13 meters wide
• It was designed to act as a drawing room for
PARIS society .
18M
• The foyer opens into an outside loggia

• The Grand Foyer, one of the reception areas in the

Opera house.
13M

154M
 Grand foyer
• The GRAND FOYER was a place where
people could stroll and chat before
performances

• Its ceiling was painted by PAUL BAUDRY and

represents various moment in the history of music

• It was inspired by some of the most exquisite

galleries of French Renaissance castles.

Paul-Jacques-Aimé Baudry’s
ceiling

• Technically, Baudry finished

his ceiling before opening
night
• The rectangular panel to the left is
entitled Music and the oval is Comedy.
THE GRAND ESCALIER
• Charles Garnier said it best when he proclaimed,
“The opera is the staircase”.

• Its design was inspired by Victor Louis’s grand

staircase for the Théâtre de Bordeaux.

• The building features a large ceremonial

staircase whitch go from the concave to the
convexe, which divides into two divergent flights
of stairs that lead to the Grand Foyer.

At the foot of the stairs, two statues

candelabra in bronze of Albert
Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (called
Carrier-Belleuse) represent female
figures holding lights to gas and
electric
THE GRAND ESCALIER

• The ceiling above the staircase was painted

by Isidore Pils to depict The Triumph of
Apollo,
• Staircase, are in white marble of
Seravezza;with a balustrade of red and green
marble .
• When the paintings were first fixed in place
two months before the opening of the
building, it was obvious to Garnier that they
were too dark for the space.
• With the help of two of his students, Pils had to rework the
canvases while they were in place

• His students had to finish the work, which was completed the
day before the opening.
 Main façade (South)
ROOF
• The building includes two side pavilions, one
created as an entrance for the emperor, the
other for the audience.
• Charles Gumery's L'Harmonie (Harmony) FIRST FLOOR
and La Poésie (Poetry), crown the apexes of
the principal façade's left and right
GROUND
FLOOR
 Main façade(South)

South façade
• The exterior is equally decorative, with many
sculptures and curved designs.

• These sculptures emphasizes symmetry and ornamentation.

• Fourteen painters, mosaicists and seventy-three

sculptors participated in the creation of its
ornamentation

Loggias open to the road

Pavillon des Abonnés(east façade) 13.5-metre diameter dome.

• This pavilion was designed to allow

subscribers (abonnés) direct access from
their carriages to the interior of the
building.

• The dome sits above the audience and

orchestra, the high roof over the stage.

• The dome sits above the audience and

orchestra, the high roof over the stage.

East façade
Façade SCUPTURE
Gumery's L'Harmonie
(1869), atop the left avant-
corps of the façade, is 7.5
metres (25 ft) of gilt copper
electrotype
Apollo, Poetry and
Music roof sculpture
by Aimé Millet
Apollo, Poetry and
Music; Apollo's lyre
detail
Façade SCUPTURE

Lyrical Drama The Dance by

Poetry roof sculpture by
façade sculpture Jean-Baptiste
Charles Gumery
by Jean-Joseph Carpeaux
Perraud
 Le Chandelier
• The seven-ton bronze and crystal chandelier
was designed by Garnier. Jules Corboz
prepared the model,

• The total cost came to 30,000 gold Francs

• The use of a central chandelier aroused

controversy, and it was criticised for
obstructing views of the stage by patrons in
the fourth level boxes and views of the ceiling

• The fall of the chandelier actually mirrors a real accident

at the Opera in 1896, when one of the counterweights of
the 7-tonne chandelier fell into the audience and killed one
person.
 Vestibule of Control

• The steps and the gallery of the main entrance lead to

a first arched vestibule cradle.

• The vestibule also houses a small shop,

recently manufactured, both bookstore and
souvenir shop.
Buffer space vestibule

• Buffer space between the

large vestibule and the
staircase allows the filtering
of the entries before the
spectators, equipped with
their tickets, can not access
the great hall and
representation.

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 BACK STAGE

Pully system used

to lift show*s
equipement

STAGE

Behind the stage are the rehearsal

rooms where Degas often sketched.

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 SYNTHESIS

• The building dazzled by the high quality of its materials (marble of every hue,
mosaics, gold) the wealth of its décor.

• The architectural plan placed great emphasis on the public

areas, particularly the Grand Foyer, the Pavilions,

• The Opera was a hub of bourgeoise and high society.

• It is regarded as one of the architectural masterpieces of its

time.

• The construction of the Opéra Garnier was not without its

hurdles and difficulties

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 Thank u
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