Blue Ballerinas 1922

Zinaida Serebriakova made this drawing of ballerinas in blue, using what looks like pastel on paper. The colour palette is quite simple - blues, browns, reds, with some linear hatching in charcoal, creating a scene in a studio or backstage. The strokes are loose and energetic, but so skilled and observant. I can imagine Serebriakova, sitting amongst these dancers and trying to capture their movement and their presence. It’s like she’s trying to figure out how to paint air. I really get a sense of the artist's presence in the marks and tones of the drawing. Those scrawls and hatches feel so intimate and so personal. I love how she has built up the image bit by bit, and how she brings those blue skirts to life. Painters have been painting dancers for centuries, and I think the conversation between artists around the expression of bodies in movement is so inspiring. We are all learning from each other, trying to find new ways of seeing and experiencing the world through paint.