The Lure of the Loge

Words by Emilia Sogaard

Renoir, Cassatt and Magritte are just a few of the artists who have painted figures seated in theatre boxes. But why did this setting become such a common motif for oil paintings, and how does the gender of the artist influence their painting?

“La Loge, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1874.”

Renoir’s painting, located at the prestigious institution of the Courtauld, demonstrates the peak of Impressionist art and reflects the social context in which Renoir lived. The artist was known as the painter of the modern streets and for rendering enchanting portraits of women, one of his favourite subjects. This painting places a female figure in the centre of the composition. However, her off-centre seat and cropped right elbow allows the viewer to clearly see the male figure behind her who is staring intently through binoculars. Given the social norms at the time this male company was most likely her husband or chaperone as women were still frequently accompanied in public spaces such as the theatre. Even though the eyes of the male figure are obscured, and his gaze is not accessible to the viewer, his presence is immediately acknowledged, and his figure takes up a large part of the composition considering his placement and shadowy figure.

The woman’s dress reflects contemporary Parisian fashion, and her decorated face and styled hair show her as an object and product of the latest trends. Renoir uses unmixed pigment and fine brushwork for her facial features. This, along with her coy smile, direct but warm gaze and low-cut neckline make her an object created for the male gaze. She seems almost veiled by an ethereal expression, like many of Renoir’s depictions of female figures. Furthermore, the male figure behind her emphasises the importance of gaze, of seeing and being seen, as his focus is consumed by the view that the binoculars afford him.

The location of the two seated figures reflects the popularity of going to the theatre in 19th Century Paris for the bourgeoise and clearly shows Renoir’s view of women at the theatre. The fashionable and polite, demurely smiling woman has gone to the theatre but appears happy to be looked upon as if she is the spectacle. Simultaneously, her male companion looks elsewhere; perhaps at another female figure – it is left up to the viewer to decide and complete his character.

“The Loge, Mary Cassatt, 1881-2.”

On the other hand, the painting by Mary Cassatt reflects a female artists’ view of going to the theatre, her works are a personal impression of impressionism. Cassatt’s painting, “The Loge” clearly represents her gender. The female artist portrays the two sitters’ unease in a public sphere. Her use of an oblique frame means that they appear uncomfortably enclosed within the composition and so suggests their tension out in society. Cassatt’s lived experience as a woman in 19th century America and France can be seen through her art.

While her contemporary’s painting, “La Loge” by Renoir, indicates the artist’s male gaze. The main subject, depicted in the latest fashion, is centrally placed allowing the scrutiny of the viewer by representing what historians have labelled the ‘lure of the loge.’ This suggests that the theatre was a place where men could find fashionably dressed women and women were turned once again into the spectacle. Both Impressionist paintings are situated in theatre balconies, yet Renoir’s passive portrayal of the woman implicitly receives the male gaze, while Cassatt’s figures appear subjected and awkward. Knowing the gender of the artist helps a viewer understand why the artist represented space, pose and gaze in a particular way.

“Untitled [A Box at the Theatre], Rene Magritte, 1924.”

A third, more abstract, example of the theatre box is the above painting by Rene Magritte. The Belgian Surrealist painter experimented with forms, and this can be seen through the motif of ‘la loge’. The use of geometrical shapes in this composition creates an enclosed space in which the female gaze of the figure is emphasised, as the woman is given four eyes, perhaps in anxiety at the closing of space around her. While the three-dimensional space depicted on the canvas somewhat affronts the viewer by introducing them to this awkward angle. Similarly, to how the angle of Cassatt’s work is slightly off putting as neither of the figures make eye contact with the viewer, yet they remain in full view.

Secondly, Magritte creates a second perspective through a window on the back wall of the box-like space depicted. Does his painting also show the social constraints felt by women as he depicts a two-headed figure and a second figure gazing at an inaccessible view? Or was he simply experimenting with shapes and diverse forms?

“La loge de Théâtre, le Monsieur et la Dame, Félix Vallotton, 1909.”

Here is yet another painting of the theatre box, although this setting is harder to recognise until you read the title. The Swiss painter Félix Vallotton’s background in woodcuts and graphics influences the geometrical compositions and blocks of colour in his painting. The alarming yellow lower half of the painting affronts the viewer; and it is interesting that only the female figure crosses the boundary into the viewer’s space, with her gloved hand resting over the balustrade.

Similarly to Renoir, I believe this painter examines the relationship between the sexes. Beneath the seemingly empty scene of the two figures overlooking a balcony box is a multitude of emotions. The female figure is hardly visible, with her face masked by her oversized hat. On the other hand, the male figure’s face is lighter, and his gaze appears directed to the woman. The distribution of light given to each figure represents how the many social boundaries that women experienced in society.

From a feminist stance showing the male gaze, to experimentation with spaces and forms in the composition, the theatre box has been used time and time again in art. This location was a platform for artists to exploit the male gaze and follows what feminist theorist Laura Mulvey describes as women becoming “the bearer of meaning and not the maker of meaning," suggesting they are placed to be objectified and lack control. The theatre box provides a setting for the artists to experiment with their composition, comment on society and express their views on the society that they are living in.