Depicting five young ballerinas, Dancers in the dressing room, c.1895 is a prime example of Arnaldo Ferraguti painting a subject he loved. This soft yet vibrant piece shows the young girls getting ready to dance, concentrating hard on their actions. Ferraguti’s use of bright colours lends a lovely sense of warmth to the composition.
The dressing room is drawn softly and hazily to direct attention to the figures, who have been outlined faintly in black. The central figure helps one of the other girls to get dressed, inviting the viewer to question the relationship between these children and imbuing the scene with a comforting quality.
DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 17.50 x 25.12 in./44.45 x 63.80 cm
SIGNATURE: Signed ‘A. Ferraguti’ (lower right)
MEDIUM: Chalk and pastel on paper laid down on card