Soyer trained as a painter in the realist tradition at Cooper Union and the National Academy of Design in New York. After World War II, he focused on the female figure, especially ballet dancers. Our painting comes from this period, when the artist produced naturalistic images of dancers with a measure of melancholy and introspection. The haunting young girl, whose gaze does not meet that of the viewer, raises her hand gently to her cheek. Soyer’s work earned him recognition as one of the most significant figures in the American realist movement.
