Title:
Laura
Knight at the Theatre:
Paintings and Drawings of the Ballet and the Stage
Author: Timothy Wilcox
List price: £20.00
ISBN:
978 0 906290 91 0
Description:
Dame Laura Knight (1877-1970) built a commanding
reputation as one of the leading British painters of her
generation, with many of her subjects taken from
intimate knowledge of the theatre, the ballet and the
circus. Her skill in capturing movement, form and colour
excels in her drawings and paintings of such legendary
dancers as Karsavina in ‘Firebird’ and ‘The
Three-cornered Hat’, inspired by the appearances of
Diaghliev’s Ballets Russes in London from 1919 to 1929
when she also painted and drew Pavlova, Spessivia and
Tchenicheva. Knight’s images of rehearsal studios,
dressing rooms, the wings of the stage and curtain calls
underline her privileged position as an artist who sees
more than the audience usually sees: both the tensions
before and the relaxed after-performance scenes.
Author:
Timothy Wilcox held curatorial positions at the Walker
Art Gallery Liverpool and the V&A Museum before being
appointed Curator of Hove Museum and Art Gallery in
1986. For the last ten years he has been a freelance
curator, consultant and lecturer, including two years as
Acting Keeper of British Drawings and Watercolours in
the British Museum.