https://padlet.com/aparna_r_nambiar/fr1k627hnl55 Notes on Isadora Duncan's later life en-us 2016-01-22 22:22:20 UTC 2016-02-24 08:05:17 UTC hello@padlet.com aparna_r_nambiar https://padlet.com/aparna_r_nambiar/fr1k627hnl55/wish/96917250 Isadora Duncan, by Auguste Rodin circa 1910.
Duncan was in the company and admired by eminent artists of her time including Rodin, Abraham Walkowitz, Michel Fokine, Vaslav Nijinsky, Gertrude Stein and Antoine Bourdelle  often served as muse for their sketches. But she wasn't just their muse - they were paying tribute to her through their paintings, sculptures and poetry. ]]> 2016-02-24 07:14:55 UTC https://padlet.com/aparna_r_nambiar/fr1k627hnl55/wish/96917250 aparna_r_nambiar https://padlet.com/aparna_r_nambiar/fr1k627hnl55/wish/96917708 Isadora Duncan by Abraham Walkowitz. But she was more than a muse - she was an artistic and cultural force in her own right. The trope of the artist as romantic, daring and free spirited prevailed in the early twentieth century, largely in the context of male artists. Duncan's  artistic pursuits and conviction were especially groundbreaking considering that there were very few women who lived and worked as she did in her time. ]]> 2016-02-24 07:21:21 UTC https://padlet.com/aparna_r_nambiar/fr1k627hnl55/wish/96917708 aparna_r_nambiar https://padlet.com/aparna_r_nambiar/fr1k627hnl55/wish/96918726 Isadora Duncan by Arnold Genthe c.1926
She was a revolutionary in art and life. In art, her corporeal style - that is, her style of bodily movement stood out - movement seem to emanate from the solar plexus and torso rather than the feet, which was the case in classical ballet. The works were said to create powerful emotional connection with her audiences, conveying unbridled joy, sorry and liberation. Today her legacy is disperesed across the many trajectories that European and American modern dance has taken since the 1920s. ]]> 2016-02-24 07:31:41 UTC https://padlet.com/aparna_r_nambiar/fr1k627hnl55/wish/96918726 aparna_r_nambiar https://padlet.com/aparna_r_nambiar/fr1k627hnl55/wish/96919928 Isadora Duncan and her daughter Deirdre. 
Duncan's notoriety on stage was paralleled by the drama of her life - she made many choices that was considered scandalous and disreputable by high society in her time. By She had two children out of wedlock, whom she lost in a tragic accident in Paris. She was married twice after her move to Russia - to men over 17 years her junior. Her financial woes and her public drunkenness found it's way into both the newspapers and into literature, including in the work of Zelda Fitzgerald. In anycase, she could not be ignored and she took complete ownership and pride in her choices. She was killed dramatically in a freak accident in 1927 in Nice, France, in the pursuit of yet another glorious experience.]]> 2016-02-24 07:41:12 UTC https://padlet.com/aparna_r_nambiar/fr1k627hnl55/wish/96919928 aparna_r_nambiar https://padlet.com/aparna_r_nambiar/fr1k627hnl55/wish/96922260 Portrait of Isadora Duncan,1922 Paul Swan.
Isadora Duncan moved to Moscow in 1922 following the formation of the Soviet Union, due to her political convictions. She dreamt of being part of a free and heroic society, and established a dance school there. Her years in Russia were among the most productive creative years of her life. Duncan's move to Russia was considered anti-national by the US and she was decried for aligning with Communists. Yet she proudly proclaimed to the press, " “Yes, I am a revolutionist. All true artists are revolutionists.”]]> 2016-02-24 07:58:55 UTC https://padlet.com/aparna_r_nambiar/fr1k627hnl55/wish/96922260