Salon 21 is pleased to present “Repose” by Holly Taylor, opening to the public on March 6, 2025. “Repose” is a study of the life of a dancer. For much of the artist’s life, dance was an integral part of their upbringing. Through this oeuvre, Taylor examines the beauty of ballet through a new lens, after years of rest, resulting in the exhibition’s apt title.

The show highlights the Renaissance-like emotions that dancers can convey, through the intense exertion of their bodies, juxtaposed with the softness and grace they exude. This duality, inherent to ballet as a practice, is mirrored in the artist’s use of Old Master techniques, such as chiaroscuro, to accentuate the duality of light and dark that must coexist to reveal clarity. Taylor also employs other Old Master painting techniques, such as underpainting and intentional composition, to add depth and emotion to modern subjects.

The exhibition is composed of oil paintings and works on paper, through which the artist explores light and shadow. Featured subjects or textures are often depicted in motion, while the gravity of their dark hues makes them feel as if they are suspended in time, focusing not so much on the destination of a dancer’s life, but on the richness of moments along the way.