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Nicolas Le Riche, 1995
Paris Opéra Ballet
Le Jeune Homme et la Mort
Pencil on paper, 38 x 28 cm
British Museum, London
The Male Dancer
- Nicolas Le Riche
  Star Dancer of the Paris Opéra
STANLEY ROSEMAN
Drawings
  ''Stanley Roseman's works perpetuate and sublimate the dancers' movements, and, more than that, even their forms, recreating with a stroke of a pencil the physical feeling. His hand makes the pencil line dance on the paper, which, from arabesques to entrechats, becomes the dancer.
  "Stanley Roseman's works speak to us. They dance before our eyes today and in our minds forever."*
  "With the dance we understand the significance of space that is so much associated with the drawings of S. Roseman. During the past six years that we have seen Stanley drawing in the wings, we contemplate his perfectionism and spontaneity, qualities that are prized by the dancer.
© Stanley Roseman
© Stanley Roseman and Ronald Davis - All Rights Reserved
Visual imagery and website content may not be reproduced in any form whatsoever.
The male dancer in Roseman's drawings is depicted in a great variety of classical ballet and modern dance movements and presented as many different stage personae - from princely lover to tormented clown puppet, from the handsome, young Romeo to the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and from a gallant Indian warrior to the repentant Prodigal Son.
     Presented at the top of the page is the superb drawing Nicolas Le Riche, 1995, in the British Museum, London. The Paris Opéra star dancer is seen in Le Jeune Homme et la Mort, choreographed by Roland Petit to a scenario by Jean Cocteau. The ballet, relating events leading up to a young man's death, is danced to Bach's Passacaglia in C minor and is considered a classic of the modern dance repertory. With swift, sure strokes of a graphite pencil, Roseman created a dynamic drawing of the star dancer taking a thrilling, spinning leap into the air.
     Whereas generations of artists who have depicted dancers have more often concentrated on the female dancer, Roseman concentrates equally on the male dancer, the danseuse, and the pas de deux. Roseman's oeuvre on the dance began in New York City in the 1970's and is exemplified by the drawings Rudolf Nureyev, 1975, Martha Graham Dance Company, in the collection of the Israel Museum, Jerusalem; and Mikhail Baryshnikov, 1975, American Ballet Theatre, collection of the Albertina, Vienna. In his work Roseman brings a modernism and importance to the male dancer in art. (See "Dance from New York to Paris.")
     Roseman began his work at the Paris Opéra in 1989 with a prestigious invitation from the Administration. Roseman's intuitive understanding of the dance and his "great talents as a draughtsman," as states the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, earned him high esteem from the dancers themselves, and he became " 'an honorary member' of the ballet troupe."[2] Roseman writes in his text "On Drawing and the Dance:" "I sought to express not only a dancer's movements that led up to and completed the grand steps and gestures but also intermediate and complementary dance movements that for me spoke personally of the individual dancer."[3]
The Prodigal Son
     For the 1929 season of the Ballets Russes, Diaghilev had commissioned Serge Prokofiev to compose a score for a ballet on the Parable of the Prodigal Son from the Gospel of St. Luke. The Prodigal Son (Le Fils Prodigue), an early choreography by George Balanchine, had its world premiere in Paris on May 21st, some three months before Diaghilev passed away. The Prodigal Son is considered "the last great ballet of the Diaghilev era."[4]
Music and Dance
     Mozart's concert arias; Divertimento K. 388; Cassation K. 99; and selected piano pieces provide the music for the modern dance work entitled Mozart Concert Arias, choreographed by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker for the Belgian dance company Rosas. The choreographic work was given its first performances at the Festival d'Avignon in 1992. The following year, Rosas was invited to make a guest appearance at the Paris Opéra, where the Company presented Mozart Concert Arias.
    ". . . the very fine drawings by Stanley Roseman of the Rosas dance company at the Paris Opéra in 1993. . . . they are all interesting and beautiful!"
- Nicole Walch, Curator
  Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique, Brussels
     The Belgian Royal Library acquired for its outstanding collection three of the artist's drawings from Mozart Concert Arias. In a gracious letter to Ronald Davis, the Curator of the Collection, Nicole Walch, writes of:
     Roseman's drawings from the Paris Opéra Ballet's revivals of productions of the Ballets Russes are also presented on the website page "Ballets Russes.'' Featured are drawings from Stravinsky's Petrouchka, the poignant story of the Russian clown puppet with a soul; and The Rite of Spring, set in primitive Russia and culminating with a terrifying, tribal sacrifice. L'Après-midi d'un Faune, which relates the amorous yearnings of a faun on a summer afternoon, was choreographed to the evocative symphonic poem by Debussy.
2. Kader Belarbi, 1993
Paris Opéra Ballet
The Prodigal Son
Pencil on paper, 38 x 28 cm
Private collection, France
4. Jean-Yves Lormeau, 1993
Paris Opéra Ballet
Tzigane
Pencil on paper, 38 x 28 cm
Private collection, Michigan
3. Male Dancer, 1993
Rosas Dance Company
Mozart Concert Arias
Pencil on paper, 38 x 28 cm
Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique
Brussels
6. Wilfried Romoli, 1994
Paris Opéra Ballet
Speaking in Tongues
Pencil on paper, 38 x 28 cm
Carnegie Museum of Art,
Pittsburgh
     The Paris Opéra Ballet presents in its repertory productions of the Ballets Russes, including The Prodigal Son. Roseman drew from the wings of the stage at performances of the ballet in April and May 1993. In the second scene the Prodigal Son, having been seduced by the Siren, is beaten, stripped, and robbed by a gang of thieves and left destitute and repentant.
The Ballet Master
    "In my youth in the 1950's, I had the wonderful experience of a friendship with the eminent French-born conductor. As well as painting and drawing, I was studying piano at the time. The Maestro and Madame Monteux greatly encouraged me in my interests in music and art.''[5]
     Maurice Ravel's Tzigane, a gypsy-style virtuoso piece for solo violin and piano accompaniment, premiered in London in the spring of 1924. The summer of that same year the composer revised the work for violin and orchestra. George Balanchine choreographed in 1975 a ballet appropriately entitled Tzigane, danced to Ravel's spirited music. The ballet entered the repertory of the Paris Opéra Ballet that same year. In a text to accompany his drawings on the dance, Roseman writes:
Classical Ballet
     Roseman's work at the Paris Opéra includes a series of excellent drawings of the Ballet Masters demonstrating dance steps and overseeing rehearsals for upcoming ballets. The French Ballet Master Patrice Bart and his Russian colleague Ballet Master Eugene Polyakov were the Interim Directors of the Dance when Roseman was invited by the Administration in December 1989 to draw the dance at the Paris Opéra.
     Writing about his first days of drawing the dance at the Paris Opéra, the artist recounts:
    "I am deeply grateful that the two men who were directly responsible for running the Paris Opéra Ballet - the interim Directors of the Dance Eugene Polyakov and Patrice Bart, both of whom had reached the top of their profession as dancers before becoming ballet masters, choreographers, and directors - were most gracious and welcoming to me and expressed sincere interest in my work. I felt truly fortunate indeed.''[7]
7. Patrice Bart, Ballet Master, 1996
Paris Opéra Ballet
Coppélia
Pencil on paper, 38 x 28 cm
Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris
8. Jean-Guillaume Bart, 1996
Paris Opéra Ballet
Coppélia
Pencil on paper, 38 x 28 cm
Private collection, New York
     The Paris Opéra, which dates from the reign of Louis XIV and the founding in 1669 of the Académie d'Opéra, later renamed the Académie Royale de Musique, is known as the birthplace of classical dance. From the great nineteenth-century tradition of classical ballet is La Bayadère choreographed by Marius Petipa for the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg. The celebrated French-born choreographer's ballet was the basis for Rudolf Nureyev's La Bayadère, which he choreographed for the Paris Opéra. His ballet premiered in October 1992, a few months before his untimely death. Nureyev's La Bayadère has since become a standard work in the Company's repertory.
     The Bibliothèque Nationale de France in its exhibition publication Stanley Roseman - Dessins sur la Danse à l'Opéra de Paris, (text in French and English), 1996, states that: "One of the objectives of the exhibit is to emphasize the artist's intent, through several ballets or works of modern dance, such as The Rite of Spring, L'Après-midi d'un Faune, and La Bayadère, to express the individuality of the dancer by showing drawings of different dancers executing the same role.''[9] Roseman drew at performances of La Bayadère over several years. Presented here are three superb drawings of star dancers Laurent Hilaire, (fig. 9); and Nicolas Le Riche and Kader Belarbi, (figs. 10 and 11, below).
9. Laurent Hilaire, 1995
Paris Opéra Ballet
La Bayadère
Pencil on paper, 38 x 28 cm
Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris
11. Kader Belarbi, 1993
Paris Opéra Ballet
La Bayadère
Pencil on paper, 38 x 28 cm
Teylers Museum, The Netherlands
10. Nicolas Le Riche, 1994
Paris Opéra Ballet
La Bayadère
Pencil on paper, 38 x 28 cm
Private collection, Virginia
12. Patrick Dupond, 1990
Paris Opéra Ballet
Don Quixote
Pencil on paper, 38 x 28 cm
Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille
     Barbara Brejon de Lavergnée, distinguished Curator of the Cabinet of Prints and Drawings of the Lille Museum, writes with enthusiasm and appreciation to Ronald Davis, who introduced his colleague's work to the Museum:
''The drawings that you so thoughtfully brought to us are superb.
I love immensely the drawings of the dancers,
which have an astonishing spontaneity of action and of refinement. . . .

- Barbara Brejon de Lavergnée            
 
Curator of the Cabinet of Prints and Drawings
  Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille
- Carel van Tuyll
 
Keeper of Prints and Drawings
  Teylers Museum, Haarlem
     Set in a past century in India, La Bayadère, with a memorable score by Ludwig Minkus, tells the fateful love story of the Indian temple dancer, or bayadère, Nikiya and the noble Indian warrior Solor. Laurent Hilaire created the role of Solar for the Paris Opéra premiere and danced in subsequent performances over the following years, as seen in the present work in the collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.
     Carel van Tuyll, Keeper of Prints and Drawings of the Teyler Museum, wrote to Roseman with enthusiasm and appreciation in acquiring the artist's "beautiful drawings.'' In reference to the present work, the Keeper of Prints and Drawings writes:
". . . the line drawing of Kader Belarbi in 'La Bayadère' adds a whole new and exciting aspect   
                   to the representation of your work in the collection.''

    "The world premiere of Ravel's Tzigane, a rhapsody for violin and orchestra, was given in Amsterdam in October 1924 by the Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Pierre Monteux. In his early career Monteux was a principle conductor of the Ballets Russes. The premieres that Monteux conducted for the Ballets Russes include works by Ravel, Debussy, and Stravinsky, and their music was to hold an important place in the Maestro's long and distinguished career.
From Rehearsal to Performance
     Don Quixote, the classical ballet choreographed (1869) by Marius Petita to an effervescent score by Ludwig Minkus, tells the story of the adventures of the charming young lovers Kitri and Basilio, who are befriended by the errant knight and his trusty companion Sancho Panza. Nureyev's choreography for Don Quixote, after Petipa, entered the repertory of the Paris Opéra Ballet in 1981. Roseman completed his first year drawing the dance at the Paris Opéra with the Company's Christmas season presentation of Don Quixote (Don Quichotte) in 1990.
     The Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille, houses a celebrated collection of master drawings from the Italian Renaissance, including an extensive holding of Raphael drawings, and the German, Flemish, Dutch, and French Schools, as exemplified by works from Poussin, Watteau, David, and Ingres to Géricault, Delacroix, and Matisse. The Lille Museum has drawings by Roseman on different subjects. The suite of his drawings on the dance at the Paris Opéra, acquired in 1996, includes the work presented here.
    "At performances I drew from the wings," writes Roseman in his text "On Drawing and the Dance." "It was exciting to create my work in proximity to the dancers on stage."[10]
"Please convey my congratulations to Monsieur Stanley Roseman for the great quality of his drawings.
We are proud to incorporate the work in our collection."

     The Teyler Museum, in the Netherlands, is renowned for its outstanding collection of master drawings from the Italian Renaissance, which includes sheets by Michelangelo and Raphael, and from the seventeenth-century Dutch school, notably drawings by Rembrandt. The Museum made its first acquisition of Roseman's drawings in 1986 and further acquisitions on different subjects in the following years. Eric Ebbinge, Director of the Teyler Museum, writes in letter to Ronald Davis, who introduced his colleague's work to the Museum, that Roseman's drawings ''will enrich the existing collection of drawings in the most significant way. . . .''
     Kader Belarbi, 1993, presented above, is a dynamic composition which places the figure centered high on the page. With swift, curvilinear strokes of the pencil, Roseman captures on paper the star dancer at the very moment he takes a thrilling, spinning leap. The drawing is a further example of Roseman's great draughtsmanship.
"Stanley Roseman's drawings show the many facets of his great talents as a draughtsman.''[6]
- Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris
"The music, the light, the momentum of the dance, and essentially the virtuosity and emotional intensity of the dancers were the vital elements to the conception, composition, and realization of my work.''[6]
- Stanley Roseman
Modern Dance
5. Manuel Legris, 1996
Paris Opéra Ballet
A Suite of Dances
Pencil on paper,  38 x 28 cm
Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris
     Music is a stimulating force for the dancer and was also for Roseman drawing dancers in Romantic and classical ballets and works of modern dance. The modern dance repertory is well represented by Roseman's drawings of the male dancer in diverse choreographic works with music spanning the centuries. The Moor's Pavane, 1949, choreographed by José Limon, is based on Shakespeare's Othello and danced to excerpts from Henry Purcell's suite Abdelazer, composed in 1695. (The drawing of Charles Jude as Iago and Michaël Denard as Othello, in the Musée Ingres, Montauban, is presented on "Biography" - Page 2 "World of Shakespeare.")
     The modern dance repertory is further represented in Roseman's work by the two drawings presented below: Manuel Legris, 1996, collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, (fig. 5); and Wilfried Romoli, 1994, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, (fig. 6).
     The Carnegie Museum of Art conserves the impressive drawing Wilfried Romoli, presented above. The Paris Opéra star dancer portrays A Man of the Cloth in Speaking in Tongues, the Emmy Award winning ballet choreographed by Paul Taylor, who in his early career was a soloist with the Martha Graham Dance Company. The score by the contemporary composer Matthew Patton incorporates traditional instruments and synthesizer.
     In the drawing of Wilfried Romoli, Roseman renders the figure with rhythmic, pencil lines varying from light to dark strokes that accentuate the dancer's movements and characterization. The dancer's head is bent to his chest, torso arched, shoulders raised, and arms outstretched in waving motion. With right leg thrust forward and left leg raised, bent at the knee, and receding behind, the figure advances rapidly forward and seems to emerge from the spacial dimension of the paper.
     Male Dancer, (fig. 3), in the Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique, Brussels, is a striking composition that places the figure high on the page. With minimum, curvilinear strokes of the pencil, Roseman effectively depicts the male dancer in a dramatic leap expressive of modern dance.
     At a performance of Tzigane by the Paris Opéra Ballet in 1993, Roseman created the marvelous drawing Jean-Yves Lormeau, (fig. 4). The star dancer, wearing tights and a low-cut shirt with voluminous sleeves, rendered here with swirling pencil strokes, dances with masculine flair to Ravel's gypsy melodies. The strong, diagonal placement of the figure on the page; the tilt of the dancer's head; outstretched left arm; and raised right leg, bent at the knee, reinforce this vivid impression of lively dancing.
     Roseman created a powerfully expressive drawing of star dancer Kader Belarbi as the Prodigal Son, (fig. 2). With vigorous lines the artist renders the contained movement of the dancer, the turn of the torso and bend of the legs, arms thrust downwards by his sides. Roseman draws the figure with strong, dark strokes of the pencil that emphasize the strain of the dancer's neck and his head against his right shoulder and describe the anguish seen on the Prodigal Son's face, which elicits a feeling of pathos from the viewer.
The Bibliothèque Nationale de France writes that Roseman's oeuvre on the dance
"gives an answer to the challenge of expressing movement in a single pictorial image."

     The Bibliothèque Nationale de France conserves the very fine drawing Patrice Bart, Ballet Master, 1996, (fig. 7). Roseman recounts:
     Roseman attended Patrice Bart's rehearsals for the upcoming presentation of Coppélia given by the Paris Opéra Ballet during the months of May, June, and July 1996 at the Palais Garnier. "A stocky, pleasant-looking man with some gray in his hair, he was serious about his work, yet mild-mannered with the dancers,'' writes Roseman of Patrice Bart. "He had danced many of the great classical ballet roles and inspired confidence in the Company. . . .''
     In the drawing of Patrice Bart presented here, Roseman renders the figure with a fluidity of nuanced pencil lines on paper and expresses the exuberance and expertise of the Ballet Master as he demonstrates for the dancers a passage from Coppélia.
    "I was very pleased to have the opportunity to draw Patrice at rehearsals for Coppélia, his choreography of the Romantic ballet, which had its world-premiere in 1870 at the old Paris Opéra on the Rue le Peletier. Léo Delibes composed the wonderful score for Coppélia. His symphonic ballet music influenced a following generation of composers, including Tchaikovsky, who acknowledged his debt to the French composer.[8] Delibes' operas include Lakmé, which premiered in Paris in 1883.''
 *  Stanley Roseman - Dessins sur la Danse à l'Opéra de Paris - Drawings on the Dance at the Paris Opéra
    (text in French and English), (Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale de France, 1996). "Quelques Mots des Danseurs /
     A Few Words from the Dancers," Nicolas Le Riche, p. 15.
2.  Ibid., p. 12.
3.  Stanley Roseman, Stanley Roseman and the Dance - Drawings from the Paris Opéra, (Paris: Ronald Davis, 1996), p. 15.
4.  Susan Au, Ballet and Modern Dance, (London: Thames and Hudson, 1988), p. 112.
5.  On the friendship of Monteux and Roseman , see further the website page "Stanley Roseman and the Ballets Russes.''  
     Roseman did a drawing of the distinguished Maestro, who, granting the young artist's request to autograph his drawing,  
     included with his signature a personal dedication: "To Stanley, with my best friendship, Pierre Monteux.''
6.  Stanley Roseman, Stanley Roseman and the Dance - Drawings from the Paris Opéra, p. 15. 
7.  Eugene Polyakov choreographed Comme on respire, 1991, for Charles Jude and Florence Clerc.
     Roseman's drawing of the Paris Opéra star dancers in Comme on respire is conserved in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence.
8.  John Warrack, Tchaikovsky, (London: Hamish Hamilton Ltd, 1989). p. 92, 93.
9.  Stanley Roseman - Dessins sur la Danse à l'Opéra de Paris, p. 12.
10. Stanley Roseman, Stanley Roseman and the Dance - Drawings from the Paris Opéra, p. 14.
     Laurent Hilaire, 1995, is composed with a bold use of pictorial space. With vigorous strokes of the pencil, Roseman has created an effective mise en page in which the dancer seems to defy gravity as he soars into the air.
     Roseman's drawings of the male dancer in classical ballet combine gracefulness and athleticism, aesthetic qualities that are hallmarks of Roseman's work.
     The diagonal composition of the drawing Nicolas Le Riche, 1994, is established by the thrust of the dancer's right leg propelling him forward and reinforced by the sweeping strokes that describe the dancer's voluminous sleeve and arm reaching upwards. The energetic movement of the figure is emphasized by the raised left leg, bent at the knee, and the prominent calf muscles, each rendered with a strong stroke of the pencil. A fine, curved line defines the brim of the dancer's turban and gives an oriental touch to this vibrant image of the male dancer.
     The Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille, conserves the splendid drawing Patrick Dupond, 1990, (fig. 12). At the performance on 21 December, Roseman drew the star dancer in the role of Basilio.
     Roseman's fluid, pencil strokes are charged with energy. With fine coordination of eye and hand, Roseman depicts the star dancer executing an impressive leap, his legs bent at the knees; his arms, in bloused sleeves, thrust high above his head.
Drawing by Stanley Roseman of Paris Opéra star dancer Nicolas Le Riche, "Le Jeune Homme et la Mort," 1995, Pencil on paper, British Museum, London. © Stanley Roseman
Drawing by Stanley Roseman of Paris Opéra star dancer Kader Belarbi, "The Prodigal Son," 1993, Pencil on paper, Private collection, France. © Stanley Roseman
Drawing by Stanley Roseman of Paris Opéra star dancer Manuel Legris, "A Suite of Dances," 1996, Pencil on paper, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris. © Stanley Roseman
Drawing by Stanley Roseman of Paris Opéra star dancer Wilfried Romoli, "Speaking in Tongues," 1994, Pencil on paper, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh. © Stanley Roseman
Drawing by Stanley Roseman of Paris Opéra star dancer Jean-Yves Lormeau, "Tzigane," 1993, Pencil on paper, Private collection, Michigan. © Stanley Roseman
Drawing by Stanley Roseman of Paris Opéra Ballet Master Patrice Bart, 1996, Pencil on paper, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris. © Stanley Roseman
Drawing by Stanley Roseman of Paris Opéra star dancer Laurent Hilaire, "La Bayadère," 1995, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris. © Stanley Roseman
Drawing by Stanley Roseman of Paris Opéra star dancer Kader Belarbi, "La Bayadère," 1993, Teylers Museum, the Netherlands. © Stanley Roseman
Drawing by Stanley Roseman of Paris Opéra star dancer Patrick Dupond, "Don Quixote," 1990, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille. © Stanley Roseman
Drawing by Stanley Roseman of Paris Opera star dancer Jean-Guillaume Bart, "Coppélia," 1996, Pencil on paper, Private collection, New York. © Stanley Roseman
Drawing by Stanley Roseman, "Male Dancer," "Mozart Concert Arias," 1993, Pencil on paper, Rosas Dance Company, Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique, Brussels. © Stanley Roseman
Drawing by Stanley Roseman of Paris Opéra star dancer Nicolas Le Riche, "La Bayadère," 1995, Private collection, Virginia. © Stanley Roseman
Drawing by Stanley Roseman of Paris Opéra star dancer Kader Belarbi, "La Bayadère," 1993, Teylers Museum, the Netherlands. © Stanley Roseman
     Paris Opéra star dancer Manuel Legris is depicted in the solo piece A Suite of Dances choreographed by Jerome Robbins to excerpts from Bach's Suites for Solo Cello. Roseman created this lyrical drawing on 18 March 1996 at the first performance given by the Paris Opéra Ballet on the occasion of the gala reopening of the Palais Garnier  that month, following a year and a half of refurbishing and renovation. With the silvery lines of a pencil, the artist renders the graceful contrapposto movement of the dancer, his head inclined and turned to the side, his arms lowered as he executes subtle dance steps to the cello music of Bach. 
     Jean-Guillaume Bart, 1996, depicts the dancer in performance at a moment in the ballet when he is executing a dance movement as was instructed in rehearsal by the Ballet Master, seen in the drawing above. With fluid, pencil lines Roseman draws Jean-Guillaume taking an exciting leap, his right leg raised and bent at the knee, his left arm outstretched in front of him, his right arm extended high in the air. He wears a shirt with bloused sleeves and a Parisian cap, called a gavroche, rendered with a single, curvilinear stroke of the artist's pencil. Roseman has created a marvelous drawing expressive of the joyfulness and proficiency of the young dancer. Jean-Guillaume Bart was appointed étoile, or star dancer, of the Paris Opéra Ballet in the year 2000.
     Of great interest here in the depiction of dance movements in Roseman's oeuvre is the drawing of the young dancer Jean-Guillaume Bart in the role of Frantz in Coppélia, (fig. 8). The Company appreciated Roseman's faithful presence at performances to include in his work not only drawings of the stars and premier dancers but also members of the corps de ballet. Jean-Guillaume was a sujet in the corps de ballet when he was given the opportunity to dance the leading role of Frantz.
Page 2 - The Male Dancer
     The Museum also acquired Roseman's drawing of Paris Opéra star dancer Elisabeth Maurin in Speaking in Tongues. Phillip M. Johnston, Director of the Carnegie Museum of Art, selected with the curatorial staff the two drawings and writes to Ronald Davis: "We find these particularly appealing, either singly or in combination." In a cordial letter to the artist, the Director writes: "The Board has asked me to convey to you their enthusiasm for the drawings. . . .''