In the dance class

Five girls in black leotards and dark skirts sit together on a polished studio floor, tying ribbons and adjusting pink pointe shoes; two look toward each other in conversation while others glance toward the viewer, and in the background further dancers practice at the barre beneath large arched windows with a piano standing in the corner.

Soft daylight from the windows reflects across the wooden floor in pale rectangles, set against muted browns and greys with touches of dusty green in the leotards; smooth, controlled brushwork and quiet, even light give the scene a calm, reflective, unhurried atmosphere of rest between exercises.