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Dancing Animals – Bas-de-Page
In illuminated manuscripts, especially from the 13th century onward the bas-de-page, that area under the text at the bottom of the page was embellished with a wide variety of images. The bas-en-page images were unframed and may or may not refer to the written text. They could be whimsical, satirical, mocking, mischievous, sexual or downright Read more
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Dance Images – Book of Exodus
Biblical references to dance fall into two categories. On the one hand there is dance of joy, worship, and exaltation and on the other, dance which is depraved, sinful and must be denounced. In Exodus, the second book of the Old Testament, both forms of dance occur. Miriam’s ecstatic dance is an example to all Read more
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Dancer – Popular or Respectable?
What is the difference between a popular dancer and a respectable dancer? And is there a similar distinction for musicians? Today this question might seem trivial but in the Middle-Ages there was a sharp differentiation between popular and respectable music and dancing. In my previous posts I have written about the role of the musician, Read more
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Dancing Hybrids and Monkey Antics
Neither music nor dance was considered respectable within the Medieval Christian Church. The classical Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle appreciated the science of music but regarded the professional musician with contempt and dancing fared no better. Their ideas influenced the early Church Fathers to the point where music and dancing were seen as corrupt, distracting Read more
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Dancer and her Musician
The margins of early illuminated manuscripts are occupied by a great variety of musicians and to lesser extent dancers. Dancers and musicians are recurring motifs common to manuscripts from various centres including Paris, England and the Low Countries. In this post I will be looking at manuscripts produced in the Low Countries showing dancers together Read more
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The Acrobatic Dancer
Dance technique today, whether classical, modern or urban, embodies movements derived from acrobatics. High leg extensions, the splits and acrobatic lifts have become part of the dance vocabulary. The great choreographer George Balanchine embraced acrobatic movements into his magnificent ballets. Twentieth century choreographers have followed suit and contemporary break dancers do no less when they 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
About me
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.
DANCE IMAGES IN THE ART OF THE NETHERLANDS 