In the Coulisses 

Laura Knight painted 'In the Coulisses' to give us a glimpse behind the curtain, into the liminal space where identity is both performed and negotiated. Knight was part of a generation of women artists who navigated the male-dominated art world by focusing on traditionally feminine subjects, like ballet. But here, she subverts expectations. Rather than presenting an idealized image of beauty, she reveals the backstage reality: dancers caught in moments of preparation, their grace and poise offset by exhaustion and the mundane details of their profession. We see the dancers, but from an unusual angle. Their backs turned to the viewer. The gaze of a woman artist. As Knight once said: "I paint what I see." Her work captures the emotional and physical labor involved in the performance of identity. There's a sense of community and shared experience among the dancers, a sisterhood forged in the demanding world of ballet. Knight asks us to consider the complex interplay between appearance and reality, and the hidden struggles behind the polished facade.