Dominique d’Orange created Ballet, a 1988 drawing, in pencil. It portrays a male ballet dancer who is practicing his choreography on the foreground while another man can be found in the background of the piece, in the depth of the dark space.
The artist was intrigued by the brittle appearance of the male, in contradiction to the strength of his muscles and his hard work, giving her the freedom to depict motion and inner movements.
It is a harmonic piece in which both movement as emotion are omnipresent. The viewer’s eye follows the action of the dancer while his expression invites to deep reflection.
The composition is captivating as the vertical and horizontal elements enable the eye to move within the piece. The symmetrical balance of the human body interacts with the asymmetry of the piece.
The main focal point is the dancer because of his central position.
This main subject is surrounded by dark shades, in contrast to the light which comes from above. Light is a very important element in the artist’s work as she believes it is crucial in the atmosphere of a work. She believes each colour can evoke strength and emotions if used correctly.
Even though the ballet dancer was made in pencil, the work shows a large diversity in tones of colour, contrast and light.
It is a sensitive artwork thanks to the visible emotions on the man’s face as well as the variety of shades the entire work is built on.
The artwork shows the artist’s knowledge of human anatomy, her elaborate technique and own style. She prefers to represent a certain feeling through an artwork than simply portraying a subject realistically and gives the viewer the opportunity to discover the meaning of the work on their own.
This analytic article has been written on demand of Yareah art magazine on my 1988 Ballet drawing.
