Rupert Bunny
(Australia, France 29 Sep 1864–25 May 1947)
- Title
- Bell dance
- Other titles:
- Bell Dance
Bell dancers
Danseuses aux cloches - Place of origin
-
Paris →
France
- Year
- (circa 1920)
- Media category
- Painting
- Materials used
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
-
54.0 x 64.8cm stretcher; 67.9 x 78.0 x 5.0cm frame; 52.9 x 63.6cm sight edge
- Signature & date
- Signed l.r. corner, black oil "RCWB" in monogram. Not dated.
- Credit
- Purchased 1969
- Accession number
- OA16.1969
- Location
- 20th & 21st c Australian art
- Further information
'Bell dance' is gloriously coloured, with a rhythmic composition depicting a group of handbell ringers cavalcading across the pictorial surface, with one stooping with the weight of a large bell. Rupert Bunny presents these figures in a flat, decorative style, reminiscent of a Greek frieze or painted vase.
The painting visually encapsulates the vibrancy of modern dance and the exotic splendour of France’s belle époque, as well as the brilliant and unconventional colour combinations used in the costumes and sets of the Ballets Russes. Applying pure colour, Bunny created vibrant patterns using dynamic arabesque lines, interwoven to create vivid tapestry-like surfaces.
- Bibliography (8)
-
'Rupert Bunny: An exotic in the history of Australian art' by Deborah Edwards, pg. 28-32., Look Nov 2009, Nov 2009, 49 (colour illus.). Members events section
'A question of colour: the hidden elements of Bunny's palette revealed' by Andrea Nottage and Simon Ives, pg. 36-37., Look Oct 2009, Oct 2009, 36.
Deborah Edwards (Australia) (Author), Rupert Bunny: artist in Paris, Sydney, 2009, 116 (colour illus.), 122, 125, 205 (colour illus.). cat.no. 46
Desmond Macaulay (Author), Bettina Macaulay (Author), Singing in the heart: Music and the art of Rupert Bunny, Queensland, 2007, 93 (colour illus.), 108. no catalogue numbers
Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Parallel visions: works from the Australian collection, Domain, 2002, 7 (colour illus,. detail), 24 (colour illus.), 25, 28, 142, 147.
'Rupert Bunny' by David Thomas, pg. 328-337., Art and Australia [vol. 9, no. 4] Mar 1972, Mar 1972, 328 (illus.), 331.
'Rupert Bunny' by David Thomas, pg. 550-575., Art Gallery of New South Wales Quarterly Oct 1970, Oct 1970, 555, 565 (illus.).
'Acquisitions for 1969', pg. 538., Art Gallery of New South Wales Quarterly Jul 1970, Jul 1970, 540 (illus.), 541. plate no. 12
- Exhibition history (2)
-
Parallel Visions: Twenty-two artists from the Australian collection, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 22 Feb 2002–May 2003.
Singing in the heart: Music and the art of Rupert Bunny (2007), Rockhampton Art Gallery, 08 Jun 2007–29 Jul 2007.
