First Book: Two Nymphs Dancing (Les nymphs de la grotte) Possibly 1937

Aristide Maillol’s book contains this print of two nymphs dancing together. Look at the way the figures are defined by gentle outlines. I imagine him using some kind of printmaking technique like etching or lithography. It’s easy to feel for Aristide when he was making this. Did he feel awkward at all? Was he excited or timid when he was inventing these forms? I imagine his arm moving slowly, deliberately, to capture the lines of these figures. And the way that they meet, holding hands as they lift their skirts and twirl around the picture plane. The lines are smooth and even, not a lot of variation, and there's a sense of calm about them. I wonder if he was looking at Greek pottery when he made them; there is something so familiar about this style. It makes me think about how artists are always having a conversation with each other. These dancing figures are like an invitation for us to keep looking, thinking, and feeling.