Sculpture by Claire Colinet (Brussels 1885 - 1972), "Oriental Dancer"

Claire Jeanne Roberte Colinet (Brussels 1885 - Asnières-sur-Seine 1972), "Oriental Dancer", circa 1920. Bronze, variegated marble. Dimensions: 35 x 35 x 20 cm Signed "C J R Colinet" on the base. The elegant bronze statuette is a work by the Belgian sculptor, naturalized French, Claire Colinet. The young dancer is depicted kneeling; her gaze is directed downwards, she holds her breath and, meanwhile, places her hands under her collarbones, highlighting the strands of the long necklaces. This is perhaps the first position of an oriental-inspired choreography, a belly dance, as demonstrated by the stage costume she wears: the skirt, tight at the waist, is surmounted by a richly finished belt; a veiled cloak falls over her shoulders, whose soft drapery is easily confused with that of the robe. Dancers were undoubtedly the artist's favorite subject, whom she portrayed in movement and made in bronze, her favorite material for the plastic rendering she gives to fabrics and complexions. BIOGRAPHY Claire Jeanne Roberte Colinet was born in Brussels in 1885. On an unspecified date, she emigrated to Paris, where she studied under the guidance of the fellow sculptor Josef Lambeuax. In 1913 she participated in the Salon des Artistes Français, which awarded her an honorable mention the following year together with Demetre Chiparus. She became a permanent member of the Salon in 1929. Colinet made her sculptures in bronze, but also favored ivory, as demonstrated by the existence of some chryselephantine examples; her subjects, characterized by a strong dramatic charge, were mainly oriental dancers and odalisques, in line with the Art Deco style. From 1937 until the beginning of the Second World War, she exhibited her works at the Salon des Independents, becoming part of the association Union des femme peintres et sculpteurs. Unfortunately, other biographical information is unknown. She died in Asnières-sur-Seine in 1972.