Image 409 Toward Modern Art - A Exhibition at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice

Here we observe a circular composition depicting a group of figures engaged in a ritualistic dance within a natural setting. The scene unfolds under a muted sky, suggesting either dawn or dusk, with distant hills forming a hazy backdrop. A large, central tree dominates the foreground, its bare branches reaching upwards and framing the gathering below.
The individuals are arranged in a circle, holding hands. Their attire is simple; most appear to be clad in dark garments, while several women stand out due to their vibrant red robes. The figures’ faces are largely indistinct, contributing to an overall sense of anonymity and universality. One figure lies prone on the ground near the edge of the circle, also dressed in red, adding a note of vulnerability or perhaps sacrifice to the scene.
The artist employed a pointillist technique, using small dots of color to create a shimmering effect across the landscape and figures. This method lends a sense of visual vibration and atmospheric depth to the work. The limited palette – primarily greens, browns, yellows, and reds – reinforces the connection to nature and evokes a feeling of solemnity.
Subtly, the circular format itself is significant; it suggests wholeness, cyclical time, and potentially, pagan or ancient traditions. The dance could be interpreted as a fertility rite, a celebration of seasonal change, or an invocation of spirits. The solitary figure on the ground introduces ambiguity – is this a participant who has collapsed from exhaustion, a victim offered to the earth, or simply someone lost in contemplation?
The painting’s overall effect is one of quiet reverence and mystery. It evokes a sense of timelessness, suggesting that these rituals have been performed repeatedly throughout history, connecting humanity to both nature and something beyond the visible world.