Choreographed Color by Elizabeth Szymczak

Choreographed Color celebrates movement of the human form using compositionally vague atmospheres, anatomy, color, form, light, and expression. These oil paintings take form as the brush moves across the canvas similar to the way a dancer moves across the floor. I have always had a passion for dance, particularly the juxtaposition between the physicality of the discipline and it’s expressive aspects. As a dance student, I was required to wear the same colored leotard, tights, and have my hair pulled back into a tight bun. Dance institutions try to shape your identity to their needs, the need for uniformity. Dance is a technical art with its own vocabulary, it takes so much control and rehearsal to achieve the beautiful results seen on stage, and celebrates careful thought with unfiltered expression. I see the process of painting the same way, this body of work is a direct mirror of my love for both disciplines. Just as a dancer is trying to find their artistic voice, a visual artist is trying to do the same; yearning for that delicate balance between technique and expression.
I primarily focus on the contemporary dance genre, as this is the discipline I am most familiar with and less costume gets in the way so that I can study more anatomy. I draw and paint dancers as they move in rehearsal and on stage, which helps keep my brushwork fresh. I choreograph dancers into compositions for photographs, which allows me to control the costume and lighting conditions. In addition to working from life and photographs, I rely on anatomy books, invention, travels, thumbnails, drawings, and color studies for referential material. But the real magic happens in the unplanned moments of painting, when I find the right balance between technique and expression.
As a semi-professional dancer, I toured with small dance companies in the Midwest. I have chosen to continue my passion for dance through figurative painting. I choreograph strong and purposeful figures with emotion and energy. For example, in the painting, Repose, I composed the figures lying on their backs so that their limbs would be flaccidly hanging off of the table, suggesting a sense of relaxation, perhaps surrender, or submission, maybe even comfort. In other words, open for interpretation. The atmospheric gradations in the background suggest the table is floating and that the figures are not grounded. The light hitting the body contrasts with the cooler blue tones suggests an alternative reality, like a dream perhaps. The conception of this idea came from a past performance of mine, a pas de deux with Andre Santiago, from choreography entitled, Family Table, by Therese Crews. For me, the figure can metamorphose into so many conceptual directions, so I try to convey common emotions of the human experience.