Walt Kuhn ( 1877 - 1949)
Dragoon
1949
Oil on canvas
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2006.9. Photography by Edward C. Robison III.
Fascinated by the spectacle of modern entertainers, Walt Kuhn frequently portrayed clowns, cabaret dancers, and other stage performers in his work. Beginning in the 1920s, he created a bold series featuring young women in costume wearing flamboyant headwear. Kuhn transformed these women into different characters—in this case, a showgirl in a seductive dragoon (member of the cavalry) outfit. Highlighting her sensuous skin and colorful, theatrical makeup, he bestowed a gaudy glamour upon his subject and charged the portrait with sexual energy.
Walt Kuhn ( 1877 - 1949)
Dragón
1949
Óleo sobre lienzo
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2006.9. Photography by Edward C. Robison III.
A Walt Kuhn le fascinaba el espectáculo de los artistas modernos, por eso solía retratar en su obra a payasos, bailarinas de cabaret y otros artistas escénicos. En la década de 1920 comenzó una atrevida serie que presentaba a mujeres jóvenes disfrazadas y con vistosos tocados. Kuhn transformaba a estas mujeres en diferentes personajes, en este caso, una corista seductoramente vestida con uniforme de dragón (miembro de la caballería). El artista destacó la piel sensual de la modelo y su colorido maquillaje teatral para conferir un encanto algo ordinario y cargar el retrato de energía sexual.