Two Pierrots Balancing on Swans and Two Dancers
Hans Christian Andersen Danish
Not on view
The delicate imagery of dancing figures precariously balanced on long-necked swans and fluttering butterfly wings reflects Andersen's preoccupation as a writer with physical and spiritual transformation as well as his interest in the insubstantiality of surface appearance. This imagery also evokes the enchanting world of the theater, an enduring passion of Andersen's. Completely independent of Andersen's written fairy tales but with stories all their own, his paper cutouts were often made as gifts for the children of family friends. Like many of Andersen's cutouts, Two Pierrots was mounted in an album and likely juxtaposed with verses, clippings, or other ephemera.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
