Tanzerinnen (Dancers)

1917

Emil Nolde

(German, 1876–1956)

Culture

Germany, 20th century

Medium

woodcut

Credit Line

Delia E. Holden Fund 1960.158

Catalogue raisonné

Schiefler and Mosel 132

This artwork is known to be under copyright.

Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

Before making prints, Emile Nolde worked as a wood-carver, a technique that later informed his woodcuts.

Description

These two swooning female dancers in long, elegant robes express themselves in dramatic but graceful curves, which are matched by Nolde’s vigorous gouging of the block. He combined a richly inked block with embossing, created by printing the block without ink (especially evident on the dancers’ white dresses). Throughout his career, Nolde returned to the theme of the dancer as the embodiment of freedom and expressivity. He knew several renowned avant-garde dancers whose form of modern dance involved elemental poses and free movements, often accompanied only by a drumbeat.