Queensland Ballet - Visions of Excellence

Queensland Ballet- Visions of Excellence

Nick Young has constructed an exhibition of grace and beauty as his works of fine art display a certain essence of power. The artist has a particular passion for classical ballet, which is distinctly portrayed throughout this beautiful exhibition. The title of the exhibition Queensland Ballet -Visions of Excellence, suggests that Young is displaying professional ballerinas in full flight. Young has created a beautiful exhibition which is inspiring for artists of every genre. The works of fine art make a distinct statement about gender and multiculturalism in the Queensland Ballet. This analysis has focused

on three of his works in particular detail these include Group Dance, Pondering and 3 Dancers.

The exhibition contains an array of paintings which all feature striking ballerinas in poise. The artist has focused

on the rehearsal scene rather than a performance scene.

The works entail a particular message of power and grace as the true discipline of classical ballet is explored. The characters painted in the scenes look petite yet strong with their lithe and defined physique. "Ballet is one of the most rigorous art forms" says Nick (Brown, 2005, p.31) and it can be clearly seen through his artworks that he wanted to show the sheer determination and discipline of a ballerina. The art form of ballet can look so simple and easy in performance, and often the commitment and dedication that is put into it can be forgotten. The faces of the young fit ballerinas are quite plain and serious, depicting the hardships of the endless hours spent at the studio practising. Young's exhibition evidently identifies and appreciates this discipline as the talented young dancers leap from his paintings in their rehearsal classes.

Dance has inspired many artists over the years even some of the masters of the modern era (Brown, 2005, p.31). pg.31). Artists such as Matisse portrayed primitive, ritual dance whilst other artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec painted works of more revealing wicked Moulin Rouge. The type of dance focused

on in Young's exhibition is visibly classical which may have been inspired from artists such as Degas (Brown, 2005, p.31). Like Degas his works contain a particular "coldness - that icy, precise objectivity which was one of the masks of his unrelenting power of aesthetic deliberation" (Lee, 2005).

One particular painting Group Dance (71 x 92 cm) suggests Young's beliefs about equality and gender. Unlike many traditional artists who often only portray female ballerinas Young has chosen to include males in this exhibition. This gives the sport of ballet a masculine identity which suggests power, throughout their defined bodies. There are four ballerinas in poise in this picture. Three of which are in an arabesque position which shows a certain strength as they hold this position so tirelessly yet controlled. Their arms are gracefully painted in 5th position all in perfect alignment with their legs and each other. The symmetrical three appear to be dancing together in a group rehearsal. Another male ballerina is waiting in the background in a relaxed position. The equal divide of males and females in this work is a definite statement of equality from Young. The two females in the picture have a pale Caucasian appearance, whilst the males in the background have a darker skin tone and one of them looking of an Asian descent. This picture suggests that dance is a discipline for both males and females across the world. This picture is central to the exhibition and captures a unique moment absent from other artworks featuring ballerinas. Creating artwork from ballet is purely a beautiful experience as every tilt of the head and every bend of the arm are deliberately aligned together to create a mood of grace and beauty (Lee, 2005). The artwork displays a typical ballerina poise which highlights their strength and muscle control. "Many works carry a sense of tension between motion and stillness. Movements are delivered by the figures' unaffected poses, but absent is the feeling that these dancers Ð'....will continue their activities once released from the two-dimensional pictures. Instead, their movements are steadfastly arrested within the works, as if time has stopped for them eternally" (Lee, 2005). The use of colours in this particular painting is quite subdued, as the artist has used light pastel colours on canvas, which are very realistic yet with an old authentic disposition. The pictures exhibit a particular mood about them displayed through the use of colour which suggests that the studio is a dark place signifying the hardships of rehearsing as a ballerina. The dancers are clothed in leotards, tights, legwarmers and singlets, for the males. These garments accentuate truth behind the performance as it suggests that ballet is not always just glitter and glamour. The detail in the picture is very lifelike and defined which is typical of fine art. The viewer is first drawn to the striking legs of the dancer at the front of the picture. Her legs are painted in white pastel colour and the alignment