American Beauty

Intense colors complement the bold stare of this young dancer, suggesting the music and energy of a vaudeville show. Painter Walt Kuhn also worked as a theater producer and often used dancers, clowns, mimes, and acrobats as his artistic subjects. The heavy make-up on this woman’s face may tell a darker story about the worlds of art and show business: her body is a canvas, and, while dancing on stage to earn a living, our anonymous American Beauty hides her true identity beneath layers of bright cosmetic paint.

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