La Danseuse de Corde, executed in 1886, exemplifies Berthe Morisot’s highly Impressionistic style. As one of the major Impressionist artists who worked alongside Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Morisot forged an exceptional path for a woman who defied the social norms of her time to join the inner circle of the Parisian avant-garde. Morisot explored themes of modernity through her distinct portrayal of the human figure; her subjects included the intimacy of contemporary bourgeois living, family life, the importance of fashion and scenes of entertainment. In the present work, Morisot wonderfully captures the moment a petit performer balances along a tightrope, suspended in the air.

Morisot displayed a strong independence of mind from an early age as she practiced art not as a mere hobby but strove to be a professional artist. Along with her sister Edma, she studied with the respected landscape painter Camille Corot and made her public debut at the Paris Salon of 1864. It was her meeting with Manet in 1868 which solidified her ties with the Impressionist circle, and she became the only female artist to participate in their first exhibition.

Along with her Impressionist counterparts, Morisot challenged convention by painting many of her works en plein air, a brave practice at a time when respectable, unaccompanied women were expected to undertake domestic tasks indoors. Being a stylish woman herself, she became the quintessential painter of contemporary women, particularly the urban sophisticate known as the Parisienne, which came to symbolise modern life in the French capital.

La Danseuse de Corde is demonstrative of Morisot’s characteristic style which was deliberately sketch-like in appearance. Achieved by the quick execution of pastel, she augments the feeling that all moments are transitory. The depiction of a tightrope performer is a nod to the extensive entertainment that was held at the Hippodrome de l'Alma in Paris, which was up and running from 1877 to 1892. The Hippodrome hosted extravagant entertainments, from circuses and rodeos to music hall performances.

Joyfully and vivaciously executed, La Danseuse de corde verges on abstraction in its use of pastel and charcoal. Presenting a soft palette, applied with discrete, light strokes, this style can be derived from the artist’s interest in the studies of 18th century French masters. When visiting Renoir’s studio in 1885, Morisot was influenced by his extensive use of preparatory drawings, which were based on works by Jean-Antoine Watteau, François Boucher and Jean-Honoré Fragonard. Morisot’s sketchbooks from 1885 suggest she went to Versailles to copy works by the 18th century French masters and La Danseuse de Corde conveys the effects of these influences on her technique as she developed a highly idiosyncratic sketch-like style.

As a founding member of the Impressionist group, Morisot was arguably one its most dedicated participants, contributing to all but one of the Impressionist exhibitions between 1874 and 1886. She is revered for her delicate lines, evocative use of medium and luminous sense of light. Her loose painterly style, while indefinite at first glance, encourages contemplation of her subjects. La Danseuse de Corde has been included in some of the earliest and most iconic monographic exhibitions dedicated to the artist over the course of the 20^th century. Her rendering of charcoal, highlighted with white and yellow hues, effortlessly conveys the moment of balance, achieved by the young woman’s delicate poise. As one of the few women of the movement, Morisot brought a feminine and intimate perspective to avant-garde art at the turn of the century and La Danseuse de Corde speaks to the artist’s mastery of this Impressionist aesthetic.