Tango c. 1917 - 1919

Otto Verhagen made this drawing, called ‘Tango,’ with pencils and crayons on paper. You can see the movement of the dance. The woman tilts her head and closes her eyes as she follows the leading man. I wonder what it was like for Verhagen to render this scene. I see him sketching quickly to catch the angle of the dancers, almost scribbling, with the color laid down softly. The texture is fairly smooth with the colored pencil blending across the paper and the purple-grey shades of the background adding a sense of drama. The man’s black tuxedo and the woman's green dress stand out against their suggestive setting. Note also, how the red socks and stockings add a pop of color. This piece speaks to other artists who capture a moment in time. There’s a dialogue that happens between artists across time as they notice and respond to the world. Like a dance, painting embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, inviting many interpretations.