Art-Nouveau and the Portrait of the Fin de Siecle Woman in Jules Massenet’s Cleopatre
Art-Nouveau and the Portrait of the Fin de Siecle Woman in Jules Massenet’s Cleopatre

Summary/Abstract: The present paper strives to evoke the context in which one of Jules Massenet’slast operas, “Cléopâtre” was created: the Belle Époque period with its various stylisticorientations. Among the numerous art movements of the fin de siècle, Art Nouveauestablishes itself as one of the most important styles, gradually becoming an internationalstyle often associated with the Belle Époque. Characterized by curving forms and undulatinglines, Art Nouveau was used in architecture, fine and applied arts. One of the aims of thisstyle was to dissolve the distinction between the various forms of art. Art Nouveaurepresentations gave birth to a particular feminine type, also represented in Massenetțs“Cléopâtre”, an opera inspired by the vocal and dramatic endowments of French singer LucyArbell. The analysis focuses on the vocal characterization of Cléopâtre as sonorousrepresentation of the fin de siècle woman, highlighting some of the musical innovationsemployed by Massenet in this final work.

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