Café chantant ( French pronunciation: [kafe ʃɑ̃tɑ̃] ; French: lit. 'singing café'), café-concert , or caf’conc is a type of musical establishment associated with the Belle Époque in France. The music was generally lighthearted and sometimes risqué or even bawdy but, as opposed to the cabaret tradition, not particularly political or confrontational.
31-736: The Alcazar d'Été was a Café-concert which opened in 1869, at 8 Avenue Gabriel in Paris , and closed in 1914. The old Café Morel behind the Élysée Palace was acquired in 1869 by Arsène Goubert who at the time was owner of the " Alcazar " at 10 Rue du Faubourg Poissonière. He gave it the name "Alcazar d'Été", and the "Alcazar" became "Alcazar d'Hiver". It is today the "Pavilion Gabriel". François Caradec & Alan Weill, Le Café-Concert , Fayard, 2007 (in French) 48°52′04″N 2°19′03″E / 48.8677°N 2.3176°E / 48.8677; 2.3176 Caf%C3%A9-concert Although there
62-634: A as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Adolphe Willette, and Theophile Alexandre Steinlen. He contributed to several publications on anarchism. As photomechanical processes allowed lithographs and drawing to be cheaply reproduced in the press, editors and publishers began to incorporate caricatures within their journals during the 1890s. Illustrators such as Henri-Gabriel Ibels, Adolphe Willette, and Jean-Louis Forain began to contribute to all types of journals. Though their "anti-bourgeois attitudes" were not always anarchist, they contributed to anarchist leaning journals such as La Plume and La Courrier Francais to mock
93-484: A decorative art and make it part of everyday life. As his inspiration here, he used labor workers that he ran into at local bistros. Along with painting, Ibels mastered the techniques and aesthetics of printmaking and a style suited for lithography for book illustration commissions, sheet-music covers, and advertisements. His participation in the Belle Epoque color revolution in lithography, for example, assisted in
124-627: A patriotic fund for Scottish soldiers. And later, a similar event for prisoners of war comforts fund, was organised by a 'tea committee' in Leamington Spa , during World War One in 1916. Le Café Concert , was a book published by L’Estampe originale in 1893 about the French establishments of that day. The book contains text by Georges Montorgueil . It is illustrated with numerous lithographs by Toulouse-Lautrec and Henri-Gabriel Ibels that mostly feature famous performers or customers from
155-471: A share of language. Ibels' “Le Coup de Père François” and Zola's use of words such as “tyranny”, “boot”, “sword”, and “dictator” created a sense of menace. As a prominent French artist who spoke through his art, Henri-Gabriel Ibels played a significant role in shaping the narrative around the Dreyfus Affair during the late 19th century. The Dreyfus affair was a political scandal in which antisemitism
186-467: A sickness by utilizing imagery of exhausted and tired soldiers in his drawings to demonstrate uniformed, conformity amongst citizens in support of anti-Dreysford. As Zola has famously said, "Discipline means obedience," Zola expressed an overarching view of soldiers unwilling to rule against a commander in chief for fear of punishment, an ideology that is also reflected in Ibels' work.In addition, they both had
217-643: A style in his profiles of clowns , circus houses, and acrobats. In 1893, they also produced lithographs together for an album titled The Café-Concert . Toulouse-Lautrec would then become the godfather to Ibels' son and the two artists would remain friends until his death in 1901. The Nabis were most interested in Japanese art and they worked on decorative projects together. The Nabis studied Japanese prints to find new ideas and possibilities for color. They were against Impressionist art altogether and wanted art forms that were more expressive. They created screens in
248-451: A work titled “The Circus” which was initially thought to be by Georges Seurat . This misattribution was later identified through finding similarities between finding figures in the drawing and Ibels' lithographs, as well through his association with Cirque Fernando in Paris, where the drawing was likely made. Although both Ibels and Seurat shared an emphasis on drawing and a fascination with
279-444: Is much overlap of definition with cabaret , music hall , vaudeville , etc., the café chantant was originally an outdoor café where small groups of performers performed popular music for the public. The tradition of such establishments as a venue for music has its origins in Paris and London of the eighteenth century. Such establishments gained their widest popularity in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries with
310-578: The 1890s that were the most original during that period along with artists such as George de Feure , Jacques Grüber , and Émile Gallé . In April 1895, there were 13 glass stained windows that were created from sketches and displayed at the Salon de la Societe Nationale des Beaux-Arts . Months later in December, 7 of these same stained glass-windows were presented at the Salon de L'Art Nouveau , Ibels' work included. The critical response varied as some found
341-473: The Dreyfus Affair would become recognized as an encyclopedia of blogger-like pro- or anti-Dreyfus imagery. For example, Ibels' visuals, such as the cover of his 1898 “Allons-y! Histoire Contemporaine,” was published in an effort to mock and question military's interference in civilian court, and indicate the Jewish had no association in the movement that grew around Dreyfus. As a result, Ibels became recognized as
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#1732798372989372-576: The Salon des Independants. And in 1892, he created eight color lithographs for the 1892-93 season of the Theatre Libre in Montmartre. Inspired by contemporary life, Ibels' work consisted of subjects drawn from modern Paris such as the cafe, boxing rings, and the circus. The characteristics in subject and technique of simplistic colors and shapes within his work can also be likened to artists such
403-478: The circus as a subject matter, the work of Henri-Gabriel Ibels and Georges Seurat shares some distinct differences. Except Seurat is best known for his pointillist technique, in which he used tiny dots of color to create a sense of light and form in his paintings. His work often focused on capturing the effects of light and color through flat silhouettes, which can be seen is his work such as the Cafe Concert. On
434-663: The contemporary Paris scene. The name Cafe Chantant appears in Henri-Gabriel Ibels Henri-Gabriel Ibels (1867–1936) was a French illustrator, printmaker, painter and author. He was born in Paris and studied at the Académie Julian along with artists such as Pierre Bonnard and Édouard Vuillard . At the beginning of the term at the Académie Julian, Paul Sérusier gathered his friends around, including Ibels, and gave them
465-559: The designs here strange and the style too basic. Revue Franco-Americaine was one individual who actually applauded the idea of using young and talented artists full of new ideas. The Nabis often worked with avant-garde producers who helped restore theater during the last twenty years of the 19th century. They created these friendships at the Lycée Condorcet which grew their interest in theater. Some of these producers included André Antoine , Paul Fort , and Lugné-Poe . Out of all
496-662: The development of Jules Cheret's use of the multi-chromatic processes, an art practice that overlapped colors in an attempt to create more depth and shade in print. He is described as a "consummate practitioner" by Andre Mellario in La Lithographie originale en couleurs for allowing the use of color and line drawing more accessible in print. His career was marked in 1891 when he took part in Les Nabis’ exhibitions at Le Barc de Boutteville gallery, "Impressionist and Symbolist Painters ." With Vuillard and Denis he soon caught
527-400: The driving force behind the popularization of "Allons-y!" as a catchphrase associated with artwork aimed at exposing and criticizing anti-Dreyfusard propaganda. Although a driving force in politics, Ibels expressed underlying regret in becoming distant from Les Nabis as a result of his political and social commitments. Anne Marie Sauvage recalls Ibels reflecting on Homage to Cézanne in which
558-554: The growth of various other national "schools" of cafè chantant (besides French). Thus, one spoke of an Italian café chantant, German café chantant, or Austrian café chantant. For example, at least one Victorian era premises in England was known as a café chantant. One of the most famous performers in this medium was violinist Georges Boulanger , who performed in this style from 1910 until 1958, and singer Gorella Gori or Zaira Erba who died in 1963. In Spain, such an establishment
589-438: The ideas of anti-Dreyfusism and become an activist for social change. Ibels would come across other artists, such as one named Zola , and collaborate due to their common fight for Dreyfus and rivalries with anti-Dreyfusard artists. Artwork such as LaTerre would present his, and Zola's, involvement in political-activism during this time. In addition, because he had experienced a position in both sides, his iconography during
620-649: The members of the Nabis, Antoine ordered works from Ibels frequently. In 1896, he became Antoine's stage designer at the Théâtre de l'Odéon as their styles were more similar. His designs did not always receive praise from the public; a journalist named Courrier Francais expressed his displeasure of the art. He insinuated that Antoine was only trying to promote Ibels instead of good work. They disbanded in 1899 ,after 10 years, to develop as individuals and to be able to express themselves fully. Henri-Gabriel Ibels had created
651-697: The memoirs of such authors as Ahmed Rasim and Sermet Muhtar Alus. Earlier versions of the kafeşantan , known as kahvehane in Turkish , appeared in Istanbul during the Ottoman Era as early as 1554. Hundreds of them were opened continually, most of them with a social club status. In the Russian Empire , the term was taken wholesale into the Russian language as " kafe-shantan " (кафе-шантан). Odessa
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#1732798372989682-620: The name Nabis. This is a Hebrew word for “prophet” and Ibels was a member since its 1889 founding. Though he was a part of the Societe de Independants "from a young age," he made his debut during the Nabi movement when he became one of the original members of Les Nabis. Other members included Bonnard, Vuillard, Félix Vallotton , Maurice Denis , Paul Sérusier , and Émile Bernard . Their early works consisted of bright colors and vibrant contour lines. Some of their goals were to reintroduce painting as
713-408: The other hand, Ibels's lithographs often showcased a more narrative-driven approach, with bold lines and rich textures. Regardless of differences, the incorporation of Ibels' lithographs into other artist's drawings suggest that Ibel's work was influential. During the time of the Dreyfus Affair, Ibels shared similarities in art work with Émile Zola , a journalist. Although Zola was a writer and Ibels
744-419: The public eye and earned the nickname ‘le Nabis journaliste’. Ibels earned this nickname as he frequently made regular publications to numerous newspapers and magazines. His main focus was drawing and lithography. He was passionate, loved the form of theater and entertainment, and attacked bourgeois values. Ibels is known for his skillfully crafted and precise lines. Ibels' first exhibit also took place in 1891 at
775-481: The revolution itself. Ibels collaborated with Toulouse-Lautrec , with whom he developed a personal relationship and professional camaraderie. Henri-Gabriel painted various fans and one was similar to the style of Toulouse-Lautrec who used the theme of clowns in his paintings and lithographs. This resulted in a friendship as they would go to the circus together frequently for hours. This is where he would get his starting points for his drawings and pictures. He developed
806-486: Was an artist, both became involved in the Dreyfus debate and vocalized their thoughts. Both would introduce in their work shared ideas about violence and lies. In addition, Ibels' text “Est-ce une Croix ou un Sabre?...”, presented in his artwork, and Zola's “Lettre à la France” both shared their shared ideas about a “sickness” France was suffering in their citizen's support of anti-Dreyfusard. Ibels expressed this ideology of
837-582: Was known as a café-concert (such as the Café de las Salesas in Madrid) or café cantante , and became the centre for professional flamenco performances from the mid nineteenth century to the 1920s. Cafés chantants were known as كافشانتان ( kafeşantan ) in Turkish , and many were opened in the Beyoğlu/Péra district of Istanbul in the early years of the twentieth century. They are described in great detail in
868-510: Was like a vigilante artist supporting the cause but would soon publicly come out and change his stance in the Jewish newspaper, La Libre Parole. In specific, Ibels' artwork of caricatures was created in an effort to present how the Dreyfus Affair was more of a French rather than Jewish issue. It was through his artwork that he would campaign to counteract ideas of national identity in France, that attempted to exclude Jews, in an effort to go against
899-531: Was practiced. There was a difficult struggle of the early Dreyfusards (Those who supported Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish captain in the French Army) to prove the innocence of Alfred Dreyfus in his conviction of selling military secrets to the German government. As a result, this caused a series of anti-Jewish controversies that Ibels addressed in his artwork, knows as “Dreyfusard art”. Before the Dreyfus affair, Ibels
930-490: Was successful. Starting in one branch, then rolling out across Scotland, this type of fundraising was led in 1908 by Jessie M.Soga , contralto. A programme for a London Cafe Chantant shows the variety of performances ranging from music or talks, to clairvoyance and jujitsu . Prior to that, a Thé and Café Chantant event had been organised in 1900 in Edinburgh by Alice Low (suffragist) and an actor to raise money for
961-470: Was the city best known for its numerous kafe-shantany . In the twentieth century, Cafe Chantant events were held across the UK by the women's suffrage movement to bring together their supporters and to raise funds. The organization of the events of musical and other performances held the movement were intended to be of a high standard (and unlikely to be risqué although unconventional), so that fundraising this way