My latest painting, Helen (2019), depicts modern dance choreographer and performer, Helen Tamiris.
She took her stage name, Tamiris, from a ruthless, ancient queen of Persia. The queen inspired Helen by her ability to succeed, in spite of adversity. Thus, she adopted this philosophy in her own life.
Helen Tamiris changed the face of Modern American dance with her choreography and performances. These drew attention to racial injustice, which was most unusual for the time.
Helen was an Orthodox Jew. She explored her own heritage through her choreography but she was best known for her Negro Spirituals. Being Jewish, she had an understanding of being in a marginalised minority.
Dramatic Flair
Therefore, she felt the need to communicate the injustice of the African-American experience through her dance.
One of the reasons I wanted to paint Helen was for her dramatic flair. I used an iconic Man Ray image from 1935 as the basis for my painting, Helen (2019).
I was inspired by the Man Ray image of Lee Miller, in my previous painting, Lee (2017).
The smouldering expression on Helen’s face captivated me. It was obvious that she was not bound by convention in her performances.
She also reminded me of Sylvia Plath’s poem, Lady Lazarus. Helen (2019) is my second portrait of a dancer. My first, Anna (2017), was a tribute to Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova.
In portraying such dancers, I wanted to show not only the faces, but also their overall physical expression. In addition to her unusual face, Helen’s costume and her wild hair were also exciting.
These conveyed a sense of freedom. She was famous for instilling a sense of freedom into modern dance. When creating Helen (2019), the subject guided my composition and palette.
Finally, the painting truly brings to life an innovative dancer, who was passionate about social change and gender equality.