Beauty in Motion

Artists have long sought to capture and recreate the beauty and splendour of the dancer in motion. Perhaps most famously, Edgar Degas revolutionised the subject with his ground-breaking Impressionist canvases and works in bronze.

Moving into the early 20^th century, it could be said that those artists working under the influence of the international Art Deco movement appeared as natural conduits for expressing the fluidity and poise of the dancer. The movement itself had been born out of a modern obsession for luxury, glamour and exuberance, as well as a strong faith in social and technological progress. It is therefore no wonder that some of the many artists’ working under that umbrella term opted to use the motif of the dancer as an expression of these qualities.

One of the more readily available sources of these works appears to us in the form of sculpture, with the flapper girls of the 1920s and 30s being immortalised in bronze and chryselephantine by such recognisable names as Josef Lorenzl, Ferdinand Preiss, and Demetre Chiparus.

We at McTear's are delighted to be offering two such works in our upcoming Fine Furniture & Works of Art Auction, both by that illustrious Austrian sculptor Josef Lorenzl. Lots 776 and 777 truly epitomise the period with their elegant poses and diaphanous drapery, simply put, they are works of beauty in motion. Alongside these, another work in bronze and ivory by Ferdinand Preiss, this one depicting a Moor boy, will come under the hammer this coming Thursday.

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James Bruce

For a complimentary, no-obligation valuation, visit our Glasgow Galleries or contact a specialist on 0141 810 2880 or auction@mctears.co.uk.