Danseuse de corde 

Editor: This pastel drawing, "Danseuse de corde," is by Berthe Morisot. It captures a figure who seems to be a performer, possibly a tightrope walker, rendered in soft strokes of pastel. What strikes me is the vulnerability in the pose and the loose handling of the figure. How do you interpret this work, particularly within the context of its time? Curator: It's interesting that you mention vulnerability. I think that’s spot on. Morisot was working during a period where the female body, particularly in performance, was often objectified. But how does she subvert this objectification, through her particular stylistic choices and how did gender affect public reception to her work? Editor: Well, the Impressionistic style softens the edges and creates a sense of movement and immediacy. Does that choice play a role in challenging the traditionally rigid or idealized portrayals of women? Curator: Absolutely. And, consider the institutional structures of the time: The male-dominated art world, the Paris Salon, the critical gaze largely shaped by men...her very act of depicting a female figure from a perhaps more intimate, less overtly sexualized perspective, challenges that male gaze. Editor: So, you’re saying that by not presenting the dancer in a conventionally seductive way, she's reclaiming some agency for both herself and the subject? Curator: Precisely. And in what other ways does the choice of pastel lend itself to expressing agency and immediacy in the context of the time? Editor: Perhaps pastels felt less 'finished', less part of the traditional male dominated arts of oil and sculpture, making a path for her? I learned a lot looking at this Morisot! Curator: And I was reminded of the vital role gender played in the reception and perception of such imagery during Morisot’s lifetime, a context easy to forget today.