Artist: William Kentridge (South African, b. 1955)
Title: Dancing Couple
Audio:
Date: 2003
Dimensions: 73″ x 51″
Location in Library: First floor
Media: Offset lithograph, works on paper
Owner: The Brooklyn College Library Collection. Purchased with Dormitory Authority of New York Art Acquisition Funds. © William Kentridge
Description:
In Dancing Couple, Kentridge aims to “depict the futile battles against entropy . . . representing bodies aging rather than bodies triumphant.” And indeed, his depiction of a middle-aged couple clearly conveys both their age and the age of their relationship. Their age is evident in their thickened bodies and their heavy steps, which have lost the nimbleness of youth. The age of their relationship is conveyed more subtly: the two are so accustomed to each other’s bodies that, even though they are nude, they don’t seem to notice each other’s nakedness. As a result, viewers don’t immediately notice it, either.
Related Websites
– William Kentridge at MoMA
– William Kentridge at New Museum
– “Why the Art World Is So Drawn to William Kentridge” from New York Magazine
–William Kentridge’s Charcoal Drawings Animate Africa’s History of Colonial Resistance
