Paintings

Long recognized for a choreographic practice in which the visual and the kinetic are inseparable, Jessica Lang’s practice of painting is a natural extension of an artistic language she has developed throughout her career, rooted in composition, gesture, color, rhythm, and the shaping of space. Described by Dance Magazine as a “master of visual composition,” Lang has always approached choreography with the eye of a visual artist. Painting provides another medium through which those same instincts can be explored, away from the stage and on canvas.

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When creating a new ballet, Lang begins each morning by listening to the music for the work and painting. It is a daily creative ritual, a way of preparing her mind before entering the studio and beginning the physical work of choreography. Over the course of a single ballet’s creation, she may produce 20 to 30 paintings.The paintings are not illustrations of the ballets or designs for the stage. Rather, they emerge alongside the choreography, absorbing something of the music, atmosphere, emotions, and ideas surrounding each work. They are part of the same period of discovery, a parallel way of exploring movement, rhythm, color, and space.

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From the many paintings created during each choreographic process, one is selected to represent the ballet, forming an evolving visual archive of Lang’s work as a choreographer.

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Dance is inherently ephemeral. A live performance exists in a particular moment between performers and audience, and then it passes. Through painting, something of that creative world can remain: a tangible work born from the same process as the ballet, offering a lasting connection to the experience of seeing the work live.

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Selected paintings are available as signed and numbered limited-edition fine art prints on archival paper through the online shop. Original paintings may also be available for purchase. Inquiries for commissioned artwork for a particular space or occasion are welcome.