Mademoiselle de Camargo Dancing

Mademoiselle de Camargo Dancing, painted around 1730, depicts Marie-Anne de Cupis de Camargo, one of the most celebrated ballerinas in early eighteenth-century France and a performer who transformed the technical possibilities of ballet by shortening her skirts to allow greater leg movement. Lancret's portrait-in-action captures Camargo in performance rather than in formal studio pose, combining the conventions of portraiture with the energy of theatrical depiction. Camargo's celebrity — she was the subject of poems, songs, and multiple painted portraits — reflected the growing cultural importance of theatrical performance as a subject worthy of fine art representation. The painting demonstrates Lancret's ability to combine social portraiture with his mastery of the moving figure inherited from the dance subjects of the fête galante.

The dancer's movement is captured with vivacity and grace, her flowing costume creating dynamic lines that convey the energy of the dance. Lancret's light, bright palette and animated brushwork are well suited to capturing the ephemeral art of dance.