Dancer's skirt at a fair

Seville, Spain

gelatin silver print

The photograph, taken at a fair in Spain, shows only the lower half of a dancer whose wide-swinging dress dominates the frame. The dancer's legs and feet are clearly visible, while the dress disappears into the blur of movement. The audience sits or stands around the dancer, with the photographer in their midst. Inge Morath does not observe from a distance, but is part of the action - we as viewers are almost drawn into the spinning movement.
The dynamic movement of the skirt contrasts with the static, partially cropped bodies of the spectators, creating a visual rhythm and drawing attention away from individual identity and toward the universal motif of dance as an expression of vitality and community. Through the long exposure time she chose - whether consciously or due to the low light in the interior - Morath creates a tension between the documentary and the abstract, a central feature of her photographic style. An iconic image as a play between chance and choreography, for moments when life itself becomes an art form.
(Christoph Fuchs, translated with DeepL)