Drawing Early 20th Century, Dance, Isadora Duncan By Jules Grandjouan

Three silhouettes Pastel and chalk study representing a dancer Charcoal highlights The drawing, on thick paper, measures 32.5 -certificate Other works are visible on the gallery page This drawing is a testimony to the origins of modern Western dance and the meeting of two revolutionary spirits from the very beginning of the 20th century: Jules Grandjouan (1875-1968) was above all a great designer and one of the greatest poster artists of his generation. He produced a large series of pastels illustrating the dance of Isadora Duncan whom he accompanied in Germany and Egypt. Unfortunately, many of these drawings have disappeared or been destroyed. On carefully chosen colored papers, Grandjouan skilfully favors pastels to convey the search for naturalness dear to this dancer who rejected the classical canons of dance. Known for his political drawings and posters, he was the first to create a political poster in color, which led to his being condemned by Clémenceau and having to go into exile for several months. He was also a great illustrator of Maupassant, the songs of Bruant, etc... Various works and several exhibitions were dedicated to him (Musée des Invalides, Palais des Ducs de Bretagne in Nantes, in Belgium...). Isadora Duncan (1877-1927) was an object of total fascination for her contemporaries. Coming from the other side of the ocean, this barefoot dancer, without a corset, stunned the public of the Belle Époque with her audacity, her way of dancing, her thirst for freedom and her revolutionary spirit. This pioneer of modern dance found in the movement of waves a source of inspiration for her art. Born on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, Isadora, as a child, spent hours contemplating the movements of the sea. Raised with her brothers and sister by a bohemian mother, she left school very early to dance and created her own class. dance at the age of 6. She arrived in Europe at the turn of the century with a very strong aesthetic quest focused on the fluidity of movements, undulation. His influence ? Ancient Greece, whether through its texts or its sculptures. If Isadora Duncan left such an impression, it is also because she was a free woman, who had chosen to have children from different fathers, without marrying and who took the side of revolutionary Russia.