The Art of Dance: Creating the Illusion of Movement With Line (Shenika Melton)

Philippe created movement within this sculpture by using strong vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines in the woman's arms and legs. The folds in her clothing add texture to the piece and her pointed toe and raised knee help her to look as if she is in the middle of completing a turn.

I feel that while this painting is a more static representation of dance, I can still see the movement. Roy used thick black lines to frame her body and curved lines to create her figure. The dancers hip placement moves the balance to the right of the painting helping her look as if she is swaying.

Struss used the connected arms of the woman and the girls create rhythm within this piece. The contrast of their skin against the dark background brings the attention to their arms and the slightly curved lines they create. Their dresses and hair seem to be flowing with their movement and the position of their feet almost leaves you anticipating their next move.

This woman seems to be caught mid spin as her only visible arm and leg are covered in the swirling fabric of her clothing. Her hand is gripping the fabric and the curving lines in her dress are creating the feeling of movement.

The organic shape of this woman's dress is the element that I feel gives the most movement to this piece. Her legs are the strongest lines present in this watercolor and their position along with her arms give her the look of fluid movement.

While the onlookers are clearly visible, the placement of light in this painting brings your attention directly to the two dancers. Fine lines in their clothing give them the appearance moving moving with the dancers raised arms and kicking feet. The gently curving lines in the young woman's pose compared to the sharper lines of the man's help her look as if she is more graceful than her companion.

The dancer in this painting has a very static pose. Her legs and arms create sharp lines and her dress is what gives her the appearance of movement. The bright color of her dress in contrast to her neutral surrounding brings the dancer to the foreground.

The strongest element of line in this sculpture is the woman's scarf billowing above her head. The bottom of her dress is wrapped around her legs and her fluttering sleeves give her the appearance of twisting or turning.

The placement of the young girls feet and their joined hands gives them the appearance of moving in a circle creating rhythm within the painting. The lines created by their arms feel natural and the way the clothing twists around each girl helps define the direction they are traveling in.

I find this painting interesting because there are curving lines making up the entire painting. With arched arms, her back leaned forward, and the position of her legs, the ballerina on the left looks as if she is about to take a step forward. The ballerina on the right has her arms raised and gently curved, while her body is straight her right leg is bent slightly and her left leg is raised making her appear as if she was in the middle of a graceful turn.