Vera Fokina in Cleopatra

What you are looking at

A single female figure stands in a three-quarter view against a plain tan background, her body positioned in a striking asymmetrical pose. She wears what appears to be a draped costume suggestive of ancient Egypt—minimal drapery across the torso with the characteristic silhouette of early 20th-century theatrical dress for Orientalist roles. Her weight is carried on one leg while the other extends in a fluid line; her arms spread wide at shoulder height with palms facing forward in a gesture of openness or supplication. Her gaze is directed downward and to the side, creating a sense of introspection or dramatic reverie. The figure's musculature is rendered with careful attention, the line work suggesting trained physicality. The drawing is executed in a restrained palette—black or dark ink line on paper, with subtle tonal shading that articulates the body's form.

The dancing

The pose displays the hallmark vocabulary of Romantic-era ballet and early 20th-century theatrical dance: the dancer stands en relevé (or nearly so) on one leg, with the supporting limb extended in a clean line. The free leg is placed in a lifted position that suggests elevation and control. The arms are held high and open, a classical frame that conveys both grace and emotional expression. The body's alignment suggests thorough training in the ballet vocabulary, with attention to the carriage of the torso and the elongation of the neck. The asymmetry of the pose—one side lifted, the other grounded—creates a sense of suspended movement characteristic of the ballet aesthetic.

The dance depicted

This is almost certainly a Romantic or early 20th-century ballet study, most likely the title figure from a work in the Orientalist mode that was popular in European theatre of that era. Vera Fokina was a Russian prima ballerina and wife of Michel Fokine, the influential choreographer. If the catalogue attribution is correct, this drawing documents a theatrical role she performed. The pose—asymmetrical, with the body in a moment of elegant suspension—is consistent with the ballet technique of the early 1900s as codified through the Vaganova and Italian methods. The Orientalist costume and the classical ballet frame together suggest a work from the period when ballet was mining Exotic and historical themes, as seen in works like Fokine's *Cléopâtre* (1909), which featured Anna Pavlova. The pose itself is characteristic of the moment of apotheosis or emotional climax in such works: the dancer lifted, open, in a gesture of revelation or submission.

How it was made

This is a pen or ink drawing on paper, likely executed with line and wash or fine tonal hatching to model the figure's form. The technique is economical and assured—the artist works primarily in line, with selective shading to define musculature and create volume. The restraint of the medium suits the subject: a study of the human figure in motion or in a held pose, prioritizing the clarity of the silhouette and the articulation of joints and limbs. The quality of the line work suggests this is either a finished study or a preparatory drawing for a larger work or print. The paper support and the archival condition suggest this was made as a standalone work or part of a portfolio of dancer studies.

About this work

This is a drawing of a dancer in a classical ballet pose, identified in the record as Vera Fokina, a prominent Russian ballerina of the early 20th century. The work captures a moment of theatrical grandeur in the pose of a female dancer, likely in an Orientalist or historically themed ballet role. The artist demonstrates thorough knowledge of ballet technique and the conventions of theatrical portraiture of the period. The drawing is a historical record of both a specific performer and the aesthetic values of early 20th-century European ballet as it was practiced by the Diaghilev circle and other major companies. It exemplifies the tradition of artist-made studies of dance, documenting not just the performer but the specific poise and physical intelligence required by the choreography of the era.

How to look at it

Attend to the moment of the pose: this is not a step but a held position, likely from the climactic moment of a scene—a moment of arrival, revelation, or emotional intensity. The artist has chosen to show the dancer in a configuration that displays both her training and her emotional expression, with the open arms and lifted chest conveying a mood of supplication or exultation. The symmetry of the pose is deliberately broken—one side higher, one side lower—which creates dynamism and suggests the body in the instant before or after a movement. Notice how the line work describes the musculature of the legs and torso, affirming the physical labor behind the apparent effortlessness of the pose.

The artist

The artist is not recorded in the catalogue. The quality of the line work and the assured knowledge of ballet anatomy and pose suggest a trained draftsman with access to dance studios or the theatre, but without further documentation the artist cannot be identified. The signature or inscription on the drawing may provide additional evidence; the work bears marks at the bottom that may be an artist's name or a collector's mark, but these are not legible in the image.

The period

This drawing dates to the early 20th century, during the height of the Russian Imperial Ballet's influence on European dance and art. The Ballets Russes, founded by Sergei Diaghilev in 1909, was at its peak of cultural influence during the 1910s and 1920s. The Orientalist aesthetic evident in the costume and pose was a dominant mode in ballet during this period, drawing on European fascination with Egypt, India, and the Islamic world. Visual artists of the era—including painters, sculptors, and printmakers—were intensely engaged with dance as a subject, attending performances, making studies, and collaborating directly with choreographers and dancers. The classical ballet technique shown here was taught through the Vaganova method in Russia and the Cecchetti method internationally.

Where it lives

The work is held in the New York Public Library's collection of prints depicting dance. It is catalogued with minimal information: the title and subject are known, but the artist, date, and medium are not formally recorded. This is consistent with many works in institutional collections of dance imagery, where the focus has historically been on the dancer rather than the maker.

Dance in this work

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