Today we got the chance to experience the national portrait gallery. It was filled with stories of pictures and statues of people ranging from very historical oil paintings to modern portraits of celebrities that are still thriving to this day. Many of the rooms we toured were filled with portraits of important people from their time, which we had an interesting time reading about them and what they contributed to society.
One of the portraits that really stood out to me was named, Dame Darcy Bussell, by Allen Jones in 1994. This oil on canvas depicted the youngest ballerina as a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet in Covent Garden, London. The making of this portrait was done by her posing for seven evenings after a day’s rehearsal at the Royal Ballet.
As I took in and examined this portrait, I noticed at first the bright, bold, and vibrant colors that were radiating off the dancer. Then I noticed her ballerina pose on point with arms outstretched, which gave me much respect for Bussell after knowing she had to pose that way for seven evenings. The colors that the artist used brought her to life by illuminating her upper body and cascading an ombre to her legs which were a darker blue color, but none the less striking. Her feet were lit up almost as much as her upper body, drawing the eye to her impressive point position. Bussell wears a smile while doing this, conveying a joy for her sport and passion. The background of the portrait was a mix of color from white, pink and red. This specific choice of color for the background really made Bussell stand out and pop from the picture. If I was able to step into this portrait, I would feel a sense of energy that she is pushing as it feels contagious, even from just the painting.
Theatre in London U of A 