Ballet from "The Rival Fairies"

Gabriel de Saint-Aubin

1748

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Baroque 18th Century dancing

About this work

This painting shows a ballet scene with figures in motion. It's a detailed drawing with gray wash and ink on paper. The artist used simple lines to create the scene, which is interesting because it was made over 250 years ago, and it shows how artists used simple tools to create detailed work, like this loose border line around the drawing. To learn more about this style, look up the technique: cross-hatching.