Emma Fordyce MacRae (American, 1887-1974) - The Dancer

Best known for her floral still life paintings paired with fragments of interiors or background tapestries (see Lot 80), MacRae also received critical praise for her portraits of “cool, detached almost impersonal” women (usually friends or models she hired), as in the present work.

Set in a modern apartment with bookshelves crowned by a selection of Art Nouveau glassware, the painting depicts a female model–possibly Rolande, who appears in other works by MacRae–flamboyantly attired in a bright red dress, which immediately captures the viewer's attention. Although the main focus of the painting, she also blends in perfectly with the rest of the composition: while her fan echoes the brown table next to her as well as the lid of the terracotta urn sitting on top of it, her dress is reflected in the full-length mirror next to her, and matches that of the figure depicted in the large canvas behind her, bringing harmony to the overall image. This symbiosis is further enhanced by the general treatment of the work, a rough, gritty surface which resembles that of a tapestry or a fresco–maybe even that of the one in the background.

In contrast to other similar portraits by the artist, The Dancer is less of a simple arrangement of shapes, patterns and textures. In fact, the walls behind Rolande are atypically neutral and without wallpaper, and MacRae does not dwell on the decorative aesthetic of the painting. Instead, she introduces a more literary, intellectual theme to the painting, which becomes a metaphor for duality. The sitter is caught staring at her reflection in the large mirror located to her right, which allows MacRae to represent the model twice, from two different angles, which in turn intrigues our senses and challenges our understanding of the portrait.

Furthermore, the painting behind Rolande acts as a key to the underlying theme. While it does not appear to refer to a specific work, the painting is an Old Master composition by the likes of Bellini (to whom MacRae was compared when first exhibiting her work at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1918) depicting the Visitation, when the Virgin Mary (easily identifiable by the blue mantle over her red robe) visits her elder cousin Elizabeth (here shown with grey hair), as both are expecting a child, the future Christ and John the Baptist, respectively. The two women, bearing two children, echo the two visions of Rolande, thereby hinting at the dual personality of the model, captured as an inviting figure with a smile on her red lips (in her reflection) and a mysterious, aloof woman with a perfect, cold profile that refuses our gaze. The model dons a sensual dress which contrasts sharply with the very chaste garment of the Virgin. MacRae, in doing so, opposes religious and secular characters, juxtaposes the spiritual and the spirited, in what becomes a nuanced commentary on the duality present within history and humanity–a double portrait of a Saint and of a woman.

Richard York Gallery, New York, New York.

Private Collection, New Jersey.

By descent in the family.

Private Collection, California.