This week I drove back down to New Haven to cover an exhibit on neither an artist nor a style, but instead on a concept: “Stagestruck in America.” This tiny show displayed the interpretation of performing art through visual art. Paintings, photographs and drawings of artists, entertainers and audiences came together to describe and, perhaps, define the stage. Each work served as an example of what I viewed as the curator’s thesis statement: “the works capture the glitzy allure of vaudeville, burlesque, early movies, and jazz clubs.”
The show consisted of about 15 pieces, hanging in a single room, spanning from 1906-1956. Two antique theater seats and a red curtain accompanied the works themselves, context and content connected.
Two paintings made the drive worthwhile for me. The first was a life-size portrait of a dancer named Jeanne Cartier from probably 1916 or 1917. Clad in purple stockings and an iridescent orange dress, the performer stands flush against a curtain backdrop. With one leg in front of the other and arms outstretched, she is poised frozen in mid-movement. Her bright clothing, studied gaze and big smile pull the audience in. In real life she attracted viewers through the stage; in the portrait she draws them in through paint and frame. Through bright colors and a happy face, artist Francis Luis Mora describes life on stage.
The second painting showed the flip side of performers—the contrasting emotions behind the stage. Walt Kuhn’s 1935 portrait of a chorus captain exposes a showgirl with parts of her costume off. She sits with slumped shoulders, wearing only a pink bra, silver necklace and red lipstick. Perched atop her head is a large pink feather extravaganza, which, in this context, has lost its exotic luster. The woman peers down and away from the viewer; her eyeballs are dotted with bold red. She seems tired of being looked at; the glitz and the glamour are left on the stage.
The juxtaposition of these women, the smiling dancer and the run-down showgirl, reveal drastically different roles of a performer. This powerful contrast proves that there is much potential in the subject matter.
Truth be told, these works and several photographs were the only truly striking parts of the show. The underlying motive for the collecting and combining of these images is intriguing and thought provoking. What is the relationship between different types and forms of art? Why do visual artists desire to depict that which can speak for itself? Can we permanently capture a type of art that is normally fleeting? In performance, is there more than meets the eye?
Overall, “Stagestruck in America” left me wanting more. Thankfully, I walked away with two new images in mind and a lot to think about.
While I don’t recommend making a trip solely for this show, The Yale University Art Gallery itself is full of great pieces worth visiting. The museum has a little bit of everything: Greek sculpture, Japanese painting, African sculpture and Edward Hopper. And, if you’re lucky, you might see Yale students on their laptops free-writing in front of a Jackson Pollock.
“Stagestruck in America”
Yale University Art Gallery
New Haven, Conn
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