Petra Camara Théodore Chassériau

Théodore Chassériau was one of the leading figures of the French Romantic school. While both the rich painterly quality of Eugène Delacroix and the classic elegance of Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres are discernible in his work, Chassériau represented a unique vision in a career cut short by his early death. Orientalism played a major role in his work, and his Spanish subjects, too, are imbued with the rich colours and exotic appeal of the East. This small panel painting shows the Spanish dancer Petra Camara, who performed in Paris in 1851. Chassériau made several in situ sketches of the impassioned performance. The model turns towards us, her dark eyes set off by her black hair and chaplet of roses. The dancer’s embroidered dress and the energetic, unfamiliar dance step have been painted with vigour. The glimpses of the other dancers and the cloudy sky in the background enhance the dynamism of the scene; the painting calls to mind the bold brushwork of Francisco de Goya and the palette of Delacroix. The work was owned by the poet, writer, and art critic Théophile Gautier, a defining figure of the French Romantic generation. A great admirer of Petra Camara, Gautier wrote several articles celebrating the dancer’s beauty.

Anna Zsófia Kovács