Apr 13, 2018
177th Anniversary of Semper Opera House
This Doodle’s Key Themes
One hundred seventy-seven years ago today, the Semper Opera House (or Semperoper) opened its doors for the first time. Originally designed by the famous German architect Gottfried Semper, it has served as the stage for opera, ballet, and performances of many kinds during its nearly 200-year-long history.
The Semperoper has newly opened its doors not once, but three times: first after its original construction in 1841, and twice more after rebuilding due to both a devastating fire in 1869 and the WWII firestorm in 1945. The architecture evolved from its first construction – an eclectic blend of early Renaissance, Baroque, and and Greek classical styles – to the familiar Neo-Renaissance elements seen today. Semper’s consideration of the audience is evident in the design, too; all tiers sit equidistant to the stage and no partitions exist between sections. Without much to block the performers, everyone gets a good seat!
The creator of today’s Doodle, Frederik Jurk, employed gentle colors and soft, flowing lines to capture the dreamy scenes and romantic characters so frequently featured on this famous stage. "Since the subject of the doodle is already about art," he says, "letting everything speak for itself felt very natural." All set against the backdrop of the iconic architecture, the image couples the art of the building’s construction with the creativity of the artists themselves.
Thanks to the dedication of Germany’s arts community, Semperoper stands today as a storied monument to some of the country’s most influential composers, conductors, and singers.
Early concepts and drafts of the Doodle below
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