Ballet Raymonda R Nureyev S Gregory

A ballerina in a jeweled tutu balances in an arabesque, her raised leg extended, while a partner in a gold-and-burgundy tunic supports her at the waist. They stand on a low pink dais decorated with scrollwork, flanked by tall pointed stained-glass windows bearing the letters 'R' and 'G' and lit by wall sconces with candles; a turreted castle skyline glows faintly below the blue glass panels behind them.

The scene is painted with flat, decorative precision, gold-leaf-like highlights picking out jewelry, braid and the stained-glass leading against deep blues, maroons and warm ochre. Forms are outlined crisply rather than softly shadowed, giving the whole a stylized, tapestry-like flatness. The effect is theatrical and ceremonial, closer to an emblematic stage design than a naturalistic scene.