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Isadora Duncan, 1877-1927
Dancer Isadora Duncan scorned the rigid rules of classical ballet and instead defined her art as an expression of natural instinct and inner feeling. Raised in a bohemian atmosphere that almost preordained her departures from convention, she began devising spontaneously choreographed pieces in the 1890s. By the early 1900s she was touring Europe, where her work won a considerable following. In the United States, however, many were scandalized by her minimal costumes and the sensual quality of her performances. Nevertheless, she had her American defenders.
The maker of this picture, Arnold Genthe, was a friend and great admirer of Duncan. "Her body was not beautiful," he recalled in his memoir. "But when she danced, the nobility of her gestures could make it into something of superb perfection and divine loveliness."
Arnold Genthe, c 1916 |