Seated Dancer in Pink Tights

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864-1901): Seated Dancer in Pink Tights, 1890 (Oil and ink on board) - Portrays a lone ballerina sitting slumped, looking forlorn. Weary purple lines crease her under eyes and a raised brow makes her look both exhausted and contemplative. Her billowing white, almost translucent tutu flows around her, pushed up to reveal thighs equivalent to her calves, making her appear emaciated. The dancer’s knobby knees jut in both directions and her long feet stretch towards the edge of the canvas. There is a sense of unease about her and the image. She was carefully painted out, with attention to color and detail, but her scenery is a series of rushed looking orange vertical brush strokes behind her…