Beyond Ballet: El Jaleo

Beyond Ballet
John Singer-Sargent, El Jaleo, 1882
Beyond Ballet
By ELLIE SCHNEIDER

When you hear the words dance and painting in the same sentence, it is easy to think of possibly the most famous painting of dancers, The Ballet Class by Edgar Degas. The thing I dislike about this painting is the stiffness of the dancers. When I think of dancing, I think of movement, music, and drama. The Ballet Class lacks movement. The girls stand around listening to their teacher, but the structure of the class sucks the creativity and freedom of movement out of the girls. When I hear dance and painting I immediately am taken to Spain, where John Singer-Sargent was inspired by women performing the jaleo de jerez dance while men play on guitars in the background. I first saw this painting last year when the Modern Art History class read Strapless by Deborah Davis. This painting was felt so modern compared to Sargent’s French works, and I was taken aback by the drama and movement he captured in the painting. This painting quickly became a favorite of mine and inspired my final project for this year.

I wanted to write about dance, because I think it is amazing how artists can capture a singular moment in time. More so the best works which exhibit movement and drama while encouraging viewers to move too. El Jaleo is the best example of this type of art, which is why I wanted it to be the first piece in my collection, symbolizing everything I love about art and dance.

In terms of movement, Sargent captures woman in El Jaleo in an unnatural position, in mid motion, switching from one dance move to the next, telling a story with her body. The various positions of the females in the bottom right and the band members add variation to the painting. The main dancer’s black top contrasts with her bright white skirt, just as the band’s black suits pop on the light-colored walls. The clashing of black and white adds to the drama of the work. Additionally, Sargent paints a spotlight being shown on the flamenco dancer, transforming the Spanish pub into a stage. The intense shadows only add movement to this dramatic and captivating painting.

Sargent’s ability to take viewers into a different time period and culture, while still feeling familiar, as dance is an activity known to all, proves that El Jaleo is a timeless piece of art that captures everything people love about art and dance.
  • 7:00 AM

El Jaleo

El Jaleo

John Singer Sargent, El Jaleo, 1882

By ELLIE SCHNEIDER

El Jaleo, or the ruckus as translated in English, caught the eyes of all in attendance at the 1882 Salon. The twelve by eight foot painting dominates the Gardner Museum with its size and with its composition.

The painting was inspired by Sargent's five month trip across Spain and North Africa. The same female dancer is pictured in The Spanish Dance, another painting inspired by Singer's travels. The exact dance is called jaleo de jerez. The woman uses castanets to accompany her dance moves, which are backed up by the band pictured against the wall. 

The composition of the painting includes pops of color, drastic use of black and white, eerie shadows, and strong rhythm and movement. The woman appears to be moving forward as she steps with her right foot and stretches her arms in the typical flamenco fashion. Her elaborate costume and amazingly white skirt are also marks of typical performer's costumes. Sargent counters the bright white with dark black shadows, which allows the dancer to pop in an otherwise monochromatic setting.  The light causes a dramatic shadow to appear of the back fall, which helps create a more thrilling piece. You can feel the tension in the painting with the dark colors and stiff positioning of the dancer, but you also feel the freedom as the dancer is in mid-motion from one position to another. You also feel the movement from the dancers mimicking the star on the right fourth of the painting. While the backup dancers are dressed in bright colors, the band is in black, and they sink into the background. I believe this is because the music is so close to the dance, so they mesh together because the dancer, the band, the movement, and the music are all one. 

Sargent doesn't create a barrier that separates the viewer from the painting. When I look at El Jaleo, I automatically feel immersed in the scene and can here the castanets along with the guitars. I picture myself in a dive in the middle of Spain, watching women perform a customary dance on a Friday night. The walls have marks and handprints from the war and tear from all of the dancers throughout the years. The wooden floors have marks from all of the women's heels. The guitars hang on the walls, inviting anybody to pick them up and play a tune. The lights are dim and ready for the dancer to take us on a romantic journey through Spain. Not only do I feel immersed in the paining, but I feel immersed in the culture. I feel like Sargent captures the Spanish culture in one painting that leaves me breathless. In fact, as soon as I saw this painting, I knew I would pick it for a project. It appeared so free and fun, while also being dramatic and mysterious. 

While the Gilded Age occurred in America, Spanish culture was thriving, which I see in El Jaleo. The Gilded Age was a time where rapid industrialization and economic growth occurred in America, but on the other side of the Prime Meridian, Spain was still digging deep into their heritage. 

When reading Strapless by Deborah Davis, we learn about the work that goes into each portrait. Sargent works for days, weeks, and even months perfecting sketching, staging scenes, and finding the perfect lighting. For me, El Jaleo appears like it was done quickly. I don't mean the painting appears sloppy, but I think you feel in time with the music and not stuck. Paintings with extreme staging and stiff positions, like Madame X, makes you feel uncomfortable. El Jaleo make some feel loose, warm and ready to dance. It feels like Sargent walked into a bar in the middle of Spain to find the perfect scene and he paints it with the help of a few sketches from the night, but mostly from the memories he made on his trip. Not only does it feel like he paints the scene itself, but it feels like he used the dancer to embody all of his memories from the influential trip. 

Now stop staring at the screen, and start to feel the painting take over your body. 
  • 7:00 AM

El Jaleo, Sargent

Arsam Yazdani
El Jaleo, John Singer Sargent, 1882

There are only a handful of words able to describe the feeling of watching a well-trained dancer, nimble, graceful even cunning, and Sargent finds a way to extract life from paint- an ability to create a moment. Born into an era where art was “great” made finding a particular facet of the discipline very difficult and somewhat daunting. Should one take the naturalist approach of those in the Rococo? Or stray towards the realism of Courbet.

Sargent like many artists before had established a close partnership and rivalry with his dearest friend Belleroche. His emotionally-charged relationship guided the work he created, ensuring that no piece would be left unable to stand on its own. The sensuality and intensity of their relationship transcended into arguably one of Sargent's best works El Jaleo. Nowhere is it more evident than in this piece the strength of his approach to realism, the eleven-foot wide canvas clearly represents the grandeur and scale of his sentiments.Inspired by his trip to Spain in 1879 and in the throes of his romantic crush, he paints a Spanish dancer being swept away by the rhythm of the music, her form effortlessly gliding about the space. Sargent's love for Gypsy music and elaborate garb could not have meshed in a more perfect manner. The illuminated form tumbles through the painting, her disheveled appearance only adding to the intensity of her movement.

Entered into the Salon in 1882 Sargent demonstrated a new level of involvement with his figures, a parallel from his brush stroke to his inner emotions. Sadly being an American he never received the recognition he deserved from the Parisian upper class. Far worse than his lack of social acceptance was his dear friend Belleroche becoming a cocaine addict and shortly thereafter dying.

  • 7:00 AM

El Jaleo

El Jaleo
John Singer Sargent, El Jaleo, 1882
Ole! The man tilts his head back and yells. Everyone spell bound by the beautiful dancer in the middle of the room. The dance has reached its height, as the audience is unable to turn away. This is El Jaleo, painted in 1882 by John Singer Sargent. The painting engulfs the viewer in its gigantic dimension - 93 x 138 inches, to be exact.

The scene focuses on the elegant and poised dancer, clad in Sargent’s famous white. She uses her skirt to mirror a matador’s cape. The room exudes sexuality and pride of being. The woman and men all succumb to the rhythmic steps of the dance, and unable to take their eyes of the fiery woman in the center. The low light illuminating the room only adds to the dream like quality of the painting. It's a beauty.

Sargent had accomplished his goal with this painting. He wished to bring his experience of the dance onto canvas. The scale of the painting gives the viewer a wonderful look into the art of Flamenco. Throughout his life, Sargent has a fascination with Spanish music and culture. Sargent loved the concept behind this painting, and was incredibly proud to display it at the Salon. His passion for art and dance collide in this as Sargent’s tells people to look beyond his portraiture career, The feeling in the painting is contagious; there is a care-free air about the entire thing. Although the figures are intense, they simply are absorbed in what they are doing. They, like Sargent, have fallen in love with this moment in time.

  • 12:00 AM