The Dance of Spring by Edward Atkinson Hornel

In this episode, we’ll be visiting The Dance of Spring by Edward Atkinson Hornel at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Scotland. Welcome to Art, Culture & Books with me, Anthony King.

Edward Atkinson Hornel was raised in Scotland and was born 17th July 1864 and died in 1933. The Dance of Spring was painted around about 1892-3 and it’s such a standout! It’s bizarre and beautiful and peculiar all at the same time. The vibrant colour and strange exaggerated facial expressions alongside the physical movement of the girls in the painting really give this piece a power and attraction that I really liked. The Kelvingrove tell us; “Hornel painted these figures and their background with such sweeping curves and brilliant colours that the whole picture seems to symbolise the joy and exuberance of spring.”

By Anthony King (c)