Dancer (Ballerina + Sea), 1913

This work relates to Gino Severini’s theory of ‘plastic analogies’, which he outlined in a manifesto of 1913. The text argued that by identifying the shared qualities of two or more apparently unrelated sensations, the artist would be able to capture the very ‘essence’ of both. The resulting imagery often verged on total abstraction. Severini distinguished between ‘real analogies’, where one experience directly evoked another, and the more complex and layered ‘apparent analogies’ illustrated by this drawing. Here, the dancer’s movements suggested to Severini the pirouetting of a ballerina, which in turn brought to mind the swirling rhythms of the sea, and its rolling waves.