Place de l'Opéra

Auguste Lepère worked in many different media, but he made his greatest impact with his woodcut prints. Under his influence, wood engraving was transformed from a medium used to illustrate text to an art form. One of Lepère’s greatest achievements was his ability to render atmospheric conditions through fine black-and-white lines and the application of transparent inks that resemble watercolor. The Place de l’Opéra was built in 1875 as part of the massive urban renewal program in the city of Paris orchestrated by Baron Haussmann. The city’s formerly chaotic Medieval layout was replaced by the orderly boulevards and open spaces celebrated here.