The antique Greek dance, after sculptured and painted figures . The directions show a diagonal line through Arms and Legs, and through Legs and Head; the direction of the Head and Torso are in opposition. The little Eros uses the code of Noverre and Blasis, like an accomplished dancer. 172. An example of the rope-dancing Satyr of Pompeii (Fig. 205)shows no application of the sameprinciple. He advances the armand leg on the same side at the sametime: this is not the way a truedancer holds himself. It is an ex-pression of the joyous companionof Bacchus who gambols danger-ously along under the ef
The antique Greek dance, after sculptured and painted figures . The directions show a diagonal line through Arms and Legs, and through Legs and Head; the direction of the Head and Torso are in opposition. The little Eros uses the code of Noverre and Blasis, like an accomplished dancer. 172. An example of the rope-dancing Satyr of Pompeii (Fig. 205)shows no application of the sameprinciple. He advances the armand leg on the same side at the sametime: this is not the way a truedancer holds himself. It is an ex-pression of the joyous companionof Bacchus who gambols danger-ously along under the effect of copi-ous libations: the effect is correctlyinterpreted. This may be proved by looking ata vase painted with red figures (), in which the dancers seem tohave adopted a cult of unequili- brium. There is a strong resemblance in position, between the Satyrof Pompeii and the more pleasing types who play on the vases. Thepainting exhibits a good citizen, who is somewhat awkward, whodances because he likes to do so, and is untroubled by the fine dis-. Fig. 205. COMBINATION OF THE POSITIONS 93 tinctions of the art. Here there is the same tendency to put thesame side forward, and the head following them: the figure, therefore,lacks stability. This kind of representation is rare. More often (leaving thearchaic work out of consideration), the law of Opposition is instinc-tively applied by the Greek dancers. Noverre and Blasis did notcopy the figures on the vases and reliefs: they held that the bestform of design resulted from the crossing in equilibrium which re-sults in stability as well as grace. 173. It has been remarked that, in the earlier centuries of Greekart, the painting was in advance of the sculpture. The dry-pointand the pencil of the ceramic artists, who copied the great painters,had already created masterpieces, while the statues still retained thestiffness of the archaic period. The joyous dancers of Komos, theSatyrs and the Menades, marvelously supple, give
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookpublisherl, booksubjectdance
