Artist Denis, Maurice
     nationality French
     birth-death 1870-1943
Creation date about 1891
Materials oil on canvas
Dimensions 15 3/8 x 13 in.
Location Jane H. Fortune Gallery
Credit line Samuel Josefowitz Collection of the School of Pont-Aven, through the generosity of Lilly Endowment Inc., the Josefowitz Family, Mr. and Mrs. James M. Cornelius, Mr. and Mrs. Leonard J. Betley, Lori and Dan Efroymson, and other Friends of the Museum
Accession number 1998.175

Gallery Label

Traditional dances were part of the rich Celtic heritage that led Maurice Denis to paint scenes of Brittany, where he often vacationed with his family. Here he weaves groups of flat, gently flowing dancers into a decorative, curvilinear pattern typical of the Pont-Aven School.

Behind them are the twisted forms of foliage set against the sky, inspired by the actual Breton trees contorted by fierce coastal winds. By using their jagged silhouettes to echo the sinuous outlines of the figures, Denis puts his dancers in step with their setting.