1910 Anna Pavlova by John Lavery
Kelvingrove Museum & Art Gallery, Glasgow 30.6.16
The Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova (1881–1931) was the most celebrated classical dancer of her time, admired for the poetic quality of her movement. She made her debut as soloist with the Imperial Russian Ballet in 1899, but gained fame when she danced with Nijinsky in Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in Paris in 1909.
The Observer critic wrote on 16 April 1911: ‘Mr. Lavery’s portrait of the Russian dancer, Anna Pavlova, caught in a moment of graceful, weightless movement … Her miraculous, feather-like flight, which seems to defy the law of gravitation’.
Sir John Lavery (1856–1941) was an Irish painter best known for his portraits and war paintings. Born in North Belfast, Lavery attended the Haldane Academy in Glasgow and the Académie Julian in Paris. When he returned to Glasgow, he was associated with the Glasgow school. In 1888 he was commissioned to paint the state visit of Queen Victoria to the Glasgow International Exhibition. This launched his career as a society painter and he moved to London soon after.
1910 Anna Pavlova by John Lavery
Kelvingrove Museum & Art Gallery, Glasgow 30.6.16
The Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova (1881–1931) was the most celebrated classical dancer of her time, admired for the poetic quality of her movement. She made her debut as soloist with the Imperial Russian Ballet in 1899, but gained fame when she danced with Nijinsky in Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in Paris in 1909.
The Observer critic wrote on 16 April 1911: ‘Mr. Lavery’s portrait of the Russian dancer, Anna Pavlova, caught in a moment of graceful, weightless movement … Her miraculous, feather-like flight, which seems to defy the law of gravitation’.
Sir John Lavery (1856–1941) was an Irish painter best known for his portraits and war paintings. Born in North Belfast, Lavery attended the Haldane Academy in Glasgow and the Académie Julian in Paris. When he returned to Glasgow, he was associated with the Glasgow school. In 1888 he was commissioned to paint the state visit of Queen Victoria to the Glasgow International Exhibition. This launched his career as a society painter and he moved to London soon after.