Paul Rasporich has produced 19 works inspired by the dancers of the National Ballet of Canada that will be free to the Public for viewing at the Calgary Public Library on Wednesday, March 2nd.
Assemblé
Earlier in my art career in 1992 I had the good fortune to meet and paint a portrait of the iconic dancer, Karen Kain. She was in Calgary for one of her last performances as the Swan Queen in a Pas de Deux with Serge Lavoie.
I recall that the stage area was too dark to take photographs to paint from, so the only available light was in her dressing room. She was putting on her pointe shoes. Then she began to assume the character of Odette while I took photos. The light was still inadequate, so I asked her if she could stand on the dressing room table under a light. She had me convinced that she was Odette spinning on one leg, while the orchestra warmed up outside the dressing room, the horn section honking, like swans do.
Twenty-four years later Karen Kain graciously allowed my wife and I to observe the National Ballet Company Class in Toronto - a privilege I am enormously grateful for.
Over the course of two days, I was able to observe, sketch, and take photo reference of the principal dancers, the first and second soloists and the corps de ballet. I saw some seventy – two extraordinary dancers in one room as they warmed up, practiced studio exercises, working with coaches, mentors and choreographers. I was particularly awestruck by the Assemblé drill - a formation of dancers leaping across the studio floor in unison, achieving incredible hang time in the air. My visceral response was that the dancers were ‘otherworldly’, their impossible act of defying gravity and physics that I had not witnessed before. The sheer fitness, grace and athleticism of what ballet dancers do. On closer inspection I could see their timeworn, bandaged feet, the spinal rollers and wooden barre used to facilitate hyper pliability, their constant quest for unattainable perfection. I was able to generate around twenty or so live pen and ink sketches over the two days, and through those try and absorb the gestures, movement, and energy in the room. Upon returning to my studio in Alberta, I had a chance to go through many of the photographs and compose several large-scale works in different mediums to reflect on - and distil that experience.
As a figurative artist, I am drawn towards Classicism. I began working on this exhibit portraying the contemporary realities of ballet using the traditional techniques of my artistic influences; in particular, I have been influenced by the pastels of Degas, the quiet compositions of Vermeer, and the sculptures of Bernini and Harriet Frismuth. At the same time, I’ve attempted to portray the often overlooked athleticism of the dancers.
Paul Rasporich,
March 1st, 2022
Calgary.