Studie van drie dansende vrouwen 1903 - 1904

Henri Fantin-Latour made this study of three dancing women with graphite on paper; look closely and you'll notice the barest of marks conjuring up so much. I can almost see Fantin-Latour moving his hand across the page, feeling the pressure of the graphite, letting the forms emerge from the ground. These dancers look like they're caught in a moment of suspended animation. It's like he's trying to capture a fleeting memory or a dream on paper. There’s something unfinished about it, an openness that invites you in. The image is almost ghostly, each line a whisper of movement and light. Fantin-Latour was part of a generation of artists, like Degas and Manet, who were reimagining the figure in art. They were all in conversation with each other, pushing the boundaries. Each mark, each erasure, is a testament to his search for form and expression. And that's what makes it so alive, so resonant, even now.