Two Veiled Dancers

The son of a cabinetmaker, Lachaise received his academic training in Paris, before moving to the United States in 1906. He achieved recognition as a sculptor in the 1920s, primarily for his depictions of voluptuous female nudes. He explored the same subject in drawings, characterized by a fluid, sensuous line. In the 1930s, he often found inspiration in dancers observed at the burlesque theater, which he frequently attended with the poet E.E. Cummings. These late drawings, such as the present one, typically depict two women dancing. Lachaise's swift and exuberant line captures the movement and rhythm of the dancers while anatomical exaggerations add a touch of humor to the drawing.