The Ballerina 

Editor: Hedda Sterne’s "The Ballerina" is a drawing in watercolor with very decisive lines, even though we don’t have a confirmed date for it. At first glance, the figure seems fragile and almost plant-like. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Sterne challenges the traditional representation of the ballerina, doesn’t she? Instead of idealizing grace and beauty, she presents a more vulnerable and perhaps even grotesque form. Consider the history of ballet, often a site of rigid social hierarchies and intense physical demands, particularly on women's bodies. Editor: I see what you mean. The harsh lines and almost alien form are definitely at odds with the classic ballerina image. Curator: Exactly. What is she critiquing here, if anything? Her own identity was complicated – a Jewish, Romanian-born artist navigating the male-dominated art world of mid-20th century New York. Do you see hints of that in this image? Editor: Perhaps that feeling of being an outsider, looking in on a very defined, exclusive world, informed her choice to depict this very abstracted, almost surreal figure. Curator: Precisely. Think about the social pressures faced by female artists during that time. This piece seems to disrupt conventional expectations, maybe hinting at the darker undercurrents of pursuing beauty and perfection. Editor: It makes you think about what is expected from female bodies, both on and off stage, even today. Curator: Indeed. Art can reveal power structures that impact social identities. Sterne’s subversion definitely opens up conversations far beyond the dance world. Editor: That’s a totally different lens to view it from; I will have to spend more time with this approach! Curator: It's a journey, not a destination!