American Art Collaborative

Dancer and Gazelles won Paul Manship the 1917 National Academy prize for best young sculptor and established his reputation as an up-and-coming artist. The tension in the small areas between the figures emphasizes the dancer's gestures, which command the gazelles' movements. Among artists of his time, Manship was unique in incorporating South Asian motifs and themes (Rather, "The Past Made Modern: Archaism in American Sculpture," Arts, November 1984). He derived this subject from ragamala paintings that illustrate Indian musical compositions. In these images, animals respond to the dance as cobras sway to the movement of a flute. Here, for instance, the gazelles mimic the motion of the dancer's hips and the sweep of the veil that flows from her neck.

This object is currently on view on the first floor of the Museum in the north corridor