Written by Kenneth Harrison Sunday, 31 July 2011 01:15

U.Va. Art Museum Presents "The Dancer and the Dance"

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.- In honor of the upcoming residency of renowned choreographer Bill T. Jones in November, the University of Virginia Art Museum presents an exhibition of images of dance, drawn from its own and private collections. "The Dancer and the Dance: Prints, Drawings and Photographs" opened July 29 and runs through Dec. 23. The artists represented in this exhibition, ranging through many centuries up to the present, include Giovanni Podesta, Jan Sadeler, Paul Gavarni, Edgar Degas, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Käthe Kollwitz, Man Ray, Reginald Marsh, Barbara Morgan, Garry Winogrand and Dove Bradshaw.

"Dance may be the most ancient art form, because it turns the human body into a work of art," museum director Bruce Boucher said. "Photography captures the most ephemeral and detailed of dance gestures, and artists have shown that the static and kinetic are ultimately one. Great art allows us to be aware of this fact, whether in classical dance or in the visual records of photographers, printmakers, sculptors and draftsmen." 

Together, these prints, drawings, photographs and sculpture reflect the perennial fascination of artists in conveying bodily movement as a manifestation of the spirit, Boucher said. The exhibition's title comes from the last line of William Butler Yeats' poem "Among School Children": "O body swayed to music, O brightening glance / How can we know the dancer from the dance?"

The University of Virginia Art Museum is dedicated to creating an environment in which the largest possible share of its diverse constituencies, including members of the University community and the general public, can study and learn from the direct experience of works of art.

The Museum promotes visual literacy as part of a broader, comprehensive education for all and seeks to enhance its visitors' perceptions and understanding of world cultures throughout history and of art as an enduring human endeavor. To this end, the Museum shall acquire, preserve, study, exhibit, and interpret works of art of the highest quality in a variety of media that represent the world's cultures from earliest times to the present. Visit : http://www.virginia.edu/artmuseum/index.php

---

Click on logo below to add this article to your favorite Social Website ~