The Dance

The Dance depicts three figures floating on a clouded sky: a central woman in a pale white, flowing dress with arms raised, a second woman in an orange garment behind her, and a bare-chested male figure at the lower left playing a drum. The composition runs diagonally from lower left to upper right, with graceful, sweeping drapery that suggestsmovement and ascent. Bouguereau’s smooth, highly finished brushwork, idealized, classical features, and a restrained palette of blues, whites, and a warm orange give the scene an ethereal, Academic aesthetic.