Terpsikore, dansens muse, som statue i en niche 1743 - 1809

Nicolai Abildgaard made this watercolor and pen drawing of Terpsichore, the muse of dance, in the late 18th or early 19th century. Though rendered with the swiftness of a sketch, the drawing embodies classical ideals that artists and designers then associated with ancient Greece and Rome. Note how Abildgaard used pen and ink to outline the figure, and washes of grey and brown to model light and shadow, simulating the look of a marble sculpture. The drawing is essentially an exercise in trompe-l'oeil, or 'fooling the eye.' Abildgaard was a leading exponent of neoclassicism, which equated artistic excellence with the cultures of antiquity. But, ironically, he achieved this effect using the humble materials of paper, pen, and watercolor. This underscores the way that all works of art, even those aspiring to the condition of timelessness, are born from specific materials and techniques. Ultimately, it is the artist’s labor that brings the artwork into being.