Esquisse pour l'escalier des Fêtes de l'Hôtel de Ville de Paris : Le Chant

Luc-Olivier Merson's esquisse for the Hôtel de Ville staircase depicting 'Le Chant' (Song, 1888) is one of the allegorical panels representing the arts of celebration within the decorative program. Song as an allegorical subject — personified as a figure in the act of singing, surrounded by musical or festive attributes — had a long tradition in French decorative painting. Merson brings his characteristic sensitivity to sound and music to this allegory, creating a figure that conveys the emotional quality of song rather than merely its physical act. The work is in the Petit Palais.

The allegorical figure of Song is rendered with the flowing grace and expressive animation that Merson brought to his best decorative work. The composition captures the dynamism appropriate to a musical personification — head uplifted, posture open and vibrant. The palette is warm and lyrical, supporting the festive emotional register.