Danseressen Lili Green (links) en Margaret Walker (rechts, als pierrot) in een choreografie op muziek van La Valse van Chopin 1920

Curator: The pastel drawing before us, created in 1920 by Ton Blom, depicts two dancers, Lili Green and Margaret Walker, mid-choreography to Chopin’s "La Valse". There's a beautiful softness here, a delicate color palette that gives a dreamy effect. Editor: Yes, it does have an immediate warmth to it. And there is an intimacy captured within this shared moment on stage. You sense an easy trust and vulnerability, which could perhaps reveal the complex struggles female performers experienced seeking artistic recognition during that period. Curator: Blom's choice of pastel is fascinating, especially when considering the broader availability of new industrial pigments at the time. Perhaps he sought that particular soft focus aesthetic? The rough paper stock as well contributes to the tactile impression. Editor: Indeed, thinking about performance and visibility brings into focus their labour too; the physicality of dance rendered with soft pastels somehow softens it, makes it feel delicate. There is tension between subject and media here. Considering Chopin’s "La Valse", it adds another layer. Often, its frantic pace mirrored societal anxieties. These dancers would navigate this through choreographed movement, their own agency expressed within social constraints. Curator: Precisely, this rendering shifts away from a sharp photographic impression, instead it favors something far more emotionally suggestive. The details of costume and staging fade, drawing focus directly towards the rapport between Green and Walker. Editor: Absolutely. Blom uses art nouveau to invite discourse about labor, materiality and consumption. Blom highlights these two dancers who are active creators and interpreters, within the performing arts! Curator: The contrast in their roles too— Lili Green in flowing dress and Margaret Walker dressed as a Pierrot is so rich. What remains is their joint work to render artistic statement in their dancing. Editor: Right, and the act of documenting this specific cultural output normalises their experiences as woman-identifying people within a modernist paradigm shift in artistic expression, which has far-reaching implications beyond mere aesthetics! Curator: Thank you for bringing so many new insights! This deeper appreciation will stay with me, too! Editor: Yes, thinking of the piece within such broader frames adds invaluable layers of social context to our interpretation!