Eight dancing women in bird bodies 1886

"Eight Dancing Women in Bird Bodies" is an 1886 painting by German artist Hans Thoma (1839-1924). The painting features eight female figures, their upper bodies human and their lower bodies avian, in a dynamic dance formation. The women’s postures and the implied movement of their dance evoke a sense of playfulness and joy, although their avian lower bodies suggest a connection to nature and the animalistic. The painting’s style is a blend of Realism and Symbolism, with a focus on naturalism in the depiction of the figures and their setting, alongside a symbolic representation of the women as mythical beings.