MANON DE BOER’S 16-MM FILM Dissonant, 2010, begins modestly but invitingly. The first movement of Belgian composer Eugène Ysaÿe’s 1923 Sonata no. 2 for Solo Violin plays over a black screen, the music quoting from Bach’s joyous Partita no. 3 in E major, which intertwines with and increasingly yields to Ysaÿe’s own dazzling modernist tones. After a brief passage of white leader—a self-reflexive gesture common in the Dutch artist’s films—a close-up appears of the dancer Cynthia Loemij listening intently to Ysaÿe’s two-minute composition (one that she’s never had the chance to dance to, until now, although it played when she was offstage at a memorable performance twenty years ago). With her figure framed against the four large windows of a dance studio, her shifting expressions echo the music’s quick tempo and jumpy flourishes. After the sonata ends, Loemij suddenly arcs her body backward,
Artforum print subscribers have full access to this article. If you are a subscriber, sign in below.
Not registered for artforum.com?
SUBSCRIBE NOW for only $50 a year—65% off the newsstand price—and get the print magazine plus full online access to this issue and our archive.*
Order the ONLINE EDITION for $5.99.
* This rate applies to U.S. domestic subscriptions.