
An elegant minuet, staged in an idyllic garden, is not exactly what one would expect from a 19th-century Dutch artist. The celebrated artist Frederik Hendrik Kaemmerer (1839-1902), however, specialised in traditional French genre scenes. In 1865, Kaemmerer travelled to Paris to study with the distinguished French academic artist Jean-Léon Gérôme. In no time at all, Read more

Scenes of whirling dancers in a dance hall, a café dansant, or an elegant ballroom have inspired visual artists throughout the ages. This blog has regularly addressed the artist’s portrayal of social dancing. Therefore, before exploring a further collection of late 19th- and 20th-century images, permit me a quick revisit to some stimulating paintings by Read more

The previous post, Dutch artists captivated by Modern Dancers, highlighted artists inspired by modern expressionistic dancers. This post adopts a broader perspective, exploring unique images of dancers as depicted by Dutch artists during the first half of the 20th century. The featured artists employ diverse techniques, and the images range from figurative to near-abstraction. Join Read more

At the dawn of the 20th century, dancers Isadora Duncan and Loie Fuller, along with modern dance pioneer and theorist Rudolf von Laban, unveiled a groundbreaking style of dance. These artists aimed for a freedom of movement previously unseen in ballet. The performers acknowledged gravity, explored spatial design, and adopted a natural flow of movement. Read more

The art collective CoBrA was established shortly after WWII. An international group of artists founded a collaborative network that extended throughout northern Europe. The Dutch, Belgian, and Danish artists challenged traditional art movements and rejected bourgeois art, finding inspiration in Paul Klee, Joan Miró, artworks by children, outsider art, naïve art, and primitive artistic expressions. Read more

CoBrA, the short-lived yet highly impactful art collective, challenged conventional art movements and rejected bourgeois art. The artists were unconventional, innovative, daring, and provocative. The Dutch, Belgian, and Danish artists were influenced by Paul Klee and Joan Miró, as well as children’s art, outsider creations, naïve art, and primitive artistic expressions. CoBrA, an acronym for Read more
14th century 15th century 16th century 17th century 18th century 19th century 20th century 21st century Adriaen Brouwer Adriaen Pietersz. van de Venne Adriaen van Ostade Albrecht Dürer Alma-Tadema Anthonie Palamedesz. art Arthurian Legends Bal des Ardents ballet Bergen School Bernard Picart Burgundian Court CoBrA Constant Cornelis Dusart Cornelis Massijs dance Dance around the Golden Calf dancers David Ryckaert III David Teniers the Younger David Vinckboons De Stijl Egg dance Else Berg Erhard Schön Frans Francken II Frans Hals Frans Huysmans George Hendrik Breitner Gertrud Leistikow Gillis Mostaert Haarlem Hans Bol Hans Vredeman de Vries Harmen Meurs Henri Braakensiek Herman Bieling Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Francken the Younger illuminated manuscript Isaac Israels Isaac van Ostade Jacob Grimmer Jacob Savery I Jacobus van Looy Jan Brueghel the Elder Jan Mandijn & followers Jan Miense Molenaer Jan Sierhuis Jan Sluijters Jan Steen Jan Toorop Jean-Baptiste Vanmour Jean de Wavrin Jean Froissart Karel Appel Karel van Mander Kees Maks Kees van Dongen Leo Gestel Loyset Liédet Maarten van Heemskerck Maastricht Hours Marius Bauer Marten van Cleve Mommie Schwarz Mondrian Paolo Fiammingo/Pauwels Franck Pieter Aertsen Pieter Balten/Peeter Baltens Pieter Bruegel the Elder Pieter Brueghel the Younger Pieter Codde Pieter de Bloot Pieter van der Borcht Pieter van der Heyden Piet Mondrian Piet van der Hem Romance of Alexander Roman de la Rose Rothschild Canticles Salome Sebald Beham Simon Bening Tango Theo van Doesburg Toer van Schayk Vilmos Huszár Vincent van Gogh Willem de Zwart
As a young aspiring dancer I loved to ponder over the magnificent paintings created by Edgar Degas. How his ballerinas inspired me. The atmosphere of the Paris Opera, the beautiful tutus and the hard working dancers never failed to trigger my imagination. As the years past, I retained my love of dance, of Degas, of art, and developed an interest in knowing more about the cross fertilization between art and dance.
