Untitled (back of two women dancing in ballet class) 1948

Curator: This is an untitled photograph by Jack Gould, held here at the Harvard Art Museums. It captures two ballet dancers from behind. Editor: The high contrast really grabs you. It feels almost ghostly, like a memory fading at the edges. Curator: Indeed, the negative image gives it that otherworldly feel. Ballet, of course, has a long and complicated history, closely tied to ideas of femininity and control. Editor: Exactly. The rigid discipline, the impossible standards—it reflects how society polices women’s bodies. Is this meant as critique or observation? Curator: Gould might have been simply exploring form and light, but art always exists within a social context. Even in its abstraction, we can read those power dynamics. Editor: Well said. It’s a potent reminder that even seemingly innocuous images can speak volumes about culture. Curator: Agreed. It is fascinating to see how so many layers are embedded within this seemingly simple composition.