10 dance pieces inspired by visual art

1. Madame X, a 1999 ballet by Francis Patrelle, was inspired by John Singer Sargent’s scandalous portrait of a pale woman in a black gown. 2. Nijinsky’s sensual 1912 ballet Afternoon of a Faun drew on the imagery of ancient Greek urns and sculpture. 3. Dali Aqui, by New-York based Edgar Cortes Dance Theatre, explores the Spanish surrealist’s work though contemporary dance. 4. In 1945, French choreographer Roland Petit brought Manet’s Déjeuner sur l’herbe to life. 5. Picasso was a longtime collaborator with Diaghilev’s Les Ballets Russes, painting massive sets and designing costumes for many of the company’s elaborate productions, including Parade (1917) and Pulcinella (1920).

6. In 2008, Inaside Chicago Dance premièred In a Painting, a collection of short choreographic pieces inspired by the drip paintings of Jackson Pollock.

7. Czech choreographer Jiri Bubenicek looked to the masterpieces of Leonardo da Vinci for Le souffle de l’esprit, created in 2007 for the Zurich Ballet.

8. Georgia O’Keefe and her giant flower paintings strongly influenced modern dance icon Martha Graham.

9. Marc Chagall designed costumes and backdrops for the 1942 production of Aleko by the Ballet Theatre of New York.

10. In 1987, British choreographer Gillian Lynne created A Simple Man, inspired by the life and art of L.S. Lowry, who painted scenes of industrial North West England in early to the mid-20th century.