Dance 1915

Ossip Zadkine made this ink drawing, Dance, with what looks like brush and ink, sometime in the first half of the twentieth century. You can see how the ink bleeds into the paper, making a kind of halo around each gestural mark. The texture of the paper is visible through the ink washes. Look at the dancer’s face on the left – such a simple line can convey an extraordinary wealth of feeling. It’s like those ancient Greek vase paintings, where the figures are so stylized, yet full of life! The way the artist has used the negative space, letting the white of the paper do so much work, gives the image its lightness, that feeling of movement. It reminds me a little of Matisse's line drawings, where he manages to suggest volume and depth with the bare minimum of marks. It's all about that spontaneous gesture, catching a fleeting moment. And, like all good art, it leaves plenty of room for interpretation.