Vaslav Nijinsky 1913

Curator: This is George Barbier’s 1913 print of Vaslav Nijinsky, capturing the ballet dancer in mid-flight. I’m immediately drawn to the starkness of the contrast against this impenetrable black. Editor: It feels almost ghostly, doesn’t it? As though Nijinsky is a spirit momentarily captured on paper. The fluidity of the figure, suspended, with these crisp Art Nouveau lines! It almost makes me feel like I am moving. Curator: Absolutely! Barbier’s masterful command of the linocut medium creates an otherworldly effect. Think about it – Barbier’s precise cutting of the linoleum dictates every curve and edge, a craft that demands exacting precision. The very process suggests a transformation. Editor: Yes, linocut implies a type of removal; what’s left behind *is* the image. Look at the patterned costume: all those intricate little dots, perfectly rendered…and the paper *is* the dancer’s pale skin. There's a strong interplay between revealing and concealing. Curator: What's especially interesting, too, is the Orientalism evident in the image, a theme prominent at the time—see those drooping willow branches. It’s hard not to also see this image, created shortly before the start of World War I, as evoking a profound yearning. Editor: I hadn’t thought of that, but I think you’re onto something. Beyond the grace and apparent exoticism, I see this image as a delicate construction of paper and ink; fragile yet resilient, capturing the ephemeral spirit of dance but also, a world on the cusp of collapse. Curator: A world transformed. It really captures the fleeting moment but the enduring legacy of Nijinsky’s own artistic genius. Editor: Absolutely. And it reminds us that even the most seemingly delicate materials can carry the weight of history and profound human experience.