Dance of War, Fiji 1902

Curator: This is John La Farge’s "Dance of War, Fiji," a work from the late 19th century, now residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels like a shadowy ritual, doesn't it? Like looking into the past through a veil of smoke and memory. Curator: Indeed, the circular composition evokes a sense of unity, but also confinement. The figures are locked in this performative act, perhaps a communal expression of power. Editor: The figures in the back look like ghosts, standing tall and looming. Do you think La Farge was interested in power dynamics? Maybe colonial ones, or just social structures more generally? Curator: Absolutely, the piece reflects the artist's engagement with cultural representation. The dance itself, a complex symbol, embodies the history, and perhaps also the anxieties, of a society preparing for war. Editor: It’s interesting how La Farge reduces the scene to shades of gray. Like he's stripping back the performance to its core energy or something. Curator: Perhaps he meant to emphasize the underlying seriousness of the scene. It truly makes you think about what memories we choose to preserve. Editor: Yeah, definitely. All that history compressed into one dance.