Gipsy of Seville

Troy Kinney (1871-1938) was an American artist, etcher, and author. He was most notable for his works portraying dance performers, fanciful subjects, and classically styled nudes. He worked with dancers, including Nijinsky, Anna Pavlova and Sophie Pflanz amongst others. His artistic works are part of the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, the Library of Congress, and many others.

Perhaps Kinney's greatest legacy is in his contributions in the area of dance. He co-authored with his wife, Margaret West Kinney, the books,<em> Social Dancing of Today </em>and <em>The Dance: Its Place in Art and Life</em>, for which he travelled throughout the world to study various dance styles. It remains to this day one of the most comprehensive works on the subject. Besides being a member of the Chicago Society of Etchers, Kinney was a member of the Society of American Etchers and the National Academy of Design.

Underrated today, Kinney's command of the dancing figure and the Flamenco poses struck are evident in this combination of etching with drypoint. Kinney shows a keen awareness of 'figure and ground', leaving the background completely blank to set off the scintillating and dynamic figure. The dancer is clearly identifiable as Carmen Tortola Valencia (1882-1955), a celebrated early modern Spanish dancer, choreographer, costume designer, and painter, who generally performed barefoot. She is portrayed in several other prints by Kinney.

See: Wikipedia, 'Troy Kinney', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Kinney

Dr Mark Stocker   Curator, Historical International Art   May 2018