Google ‘ballet paintings’. What do you see? Tutus. Pointe shoes. Cutesy little girls.
Where are the men? They make up 50% of the profession. Yet the overwhelming majority of ballet imagery is about ballerinas, making the men inexplicably and unfairly invisible.
Furthermore, bigotry around males who take up ballet is alive and well, not just among straight men, but among all genders, all cultures and all age groups.
It is my mission to increase understanding and appreciation of the male ballet dancer. To increase public acceptance of ballet as a relevant career choice for a man, instead of him being labelled in a multitude of gender and sexually discriminatory ways.
How do I intend to address this?
I am the only artist, past or present, to create a painting collection of exclusively male ballet dancers, depicting their prowess, athleticism and grace as dancers in their own right. I am the only artist to represent the ballet profession as it actually is, which celebrates dancers from all cultural backgrounds.
The point I want to make through my painting collection is that ballet is no longer a Degas-esque soft focus flurry of femininity with men lurking in the background. It is now a realm of super-athletes, coupled with elegant emotional expression and powerful artistry. It is my mission to create paintings of such serene beauty and inspiration, that even those who know nothing of ballet, will pause to look, and absorb the 21st century reality of the Danseur.
As a side benefit, boys and men who love ballet will finally see themselves abundantly represented in the visual arts, placing them in the public eye on an equal footing with females.
VIEW THE GROWING COLLECTION
The best method of viewing the paintings is to watch the short YouTube videos which take you through each stage of the creative process. With carefully chosen music to match the feel of the subject, you are shown moving footage and close-ups of the painting. Scroll to the base of this page to view.
No.1
Nikolai Tsiskaridze
Principal Danseur, Bolshoi Ballet
100cm x 100cm
Pure platinum leaf and acrylic on canvas
No.2
Derek Dunn
Principal Danseur, Boston Ballet
100cm x 100cm
Pure platinum leaf and acrylic on canvas
No.3
Jorge Barani
Cuban Principal Dancer
100cm x 100cm
Pure platinum leaf and acrylic on canvas
No.4
Paulo Gonzales
19 year old rising Cuban star
54cm x 139cm
Acrylic on canvas
No.5
Paulo Gonzales
19 year old rising Cuban star
54cm x 139cm
Acrylic on canvas
No.6
Hugo Marchand
Etoile, Paris Opera Ballet
Acrylic on Canvas
40cm x 40cm
No.7
Hugo Marchand
Etoile, Paris Opera Ballet
Acrylic on Canvas
40cm x 40cm
No.8
Hugo Marchand
Etoile Paris Opera Ballet
Pencil and acrylic paint on canvas
139cm x 54cm
(Left: Detail)
No. 9
Marcelino Sambe
Principal Dancer, The Royal Ballet Company
Acrylic and pure platinum leaf on canvas.
101cm x 101cm
No. 10
Marcelino Sambe
Principal Dancer, The Royal Ballet Company
Acrylic and pure platinum leaf on canvas
101cm x 101cm
No. 11
Hyuma Gokan
Dancer with the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb.
Acrylic on Canvas
101cm x 101cm
No. 12
Calvin Royal
Principal Dancer with the American Ballet Theater
Acrylic and 23.5 carat gold leaf on canvas
91cm x 121cm
No. 13
Enrique Bejarano Vidal
Artist with the Birmingham Royal Ballet
Acrylic on Canvas
61cm x 91cm
No. 14
Martin Diaz
Artist with The Royal Ballet Company
Acrylic on Canvas
No. 15
Junor Souza
First Soloist with the English National Ballet
Acrylic paint on board
No. 16
Junor Souza
First Soloist with the English National Ballet
Acrylic paint on board
No. 17
Junor Souza
First Soloist with the English National Ballet
Pure Platinum leaf and acrylic paint on Fabriano Paper.
No. 18
Junor Souza
First Soloist with English National Ballet
Gouache on Paper
No. 19
Angelo Greco
Principal Dancer at San Francisco Ballet
Acrylic, Gouache and pure platinum leaf on paper
No. 20
Cesar Ortega
Student at the Royal Ballet School, UK.
Acrylic and gouache on paper
No.21
Cesar Ortega
Student at the Royal Ballet School, UK.
Acrylic on Canvas
Denzil Bailey
Ex English National Ballet
Acrylic on Canvas
100cm x 100cm
SHORT FILMS OF THE CREATION OF EACH PAINTING