André Brasilier, *Orchestra Pit* (La Fosse d'orchestre), oil on canvas, 38 x 61 cm (15 x 24 in.), 2023

Orchestra Pit, an oil painting from 2023 by André Brasilier (born 1929). At 94, Brasilier has taken on the theme of "music" in what could be called a new frontier, resulting in one of his recent masterpieces. Captured from an overhead perspective, the orchestra pit is filled with musicians in tails, and against a contrast of black and white, an orange light accents the scene. The bold omission of details like musical instruments and music stands, and the method of expressing the density and fervor of the crowd solely through color planes and brushstrokes, shows a commonality with the "herds" motif that he has painted for many years—herds of horses and lines of jockeys. This work, which captures a world deeply beloved by the artist, himself a musician, from a dynamic diagonal overhead composition, can be seen as a culmination of Brasilier's lifelong pursuit of "the beauty of human endeavor."