Martha Graham, “American Document” (Starburst)

Barbara Morgan is known for her creative contributions to both dance and visual art. In 1935 Morgan saw a performance by Martha Graham, who was a modern dancer and choreographer. At that time they were both beginning their artistic careers. Morgan was so inspired by the dance performance that she introduced herself to Graham, and the two artists agreed to work together on creative projects. This was the beginning of an artistic collaboration that lasted more than 60 years. 

Morgan was commissioned by the Martha Graham Dance Company to photograph dancers in motion. She created the photographs of the dancers over a span of five years, from 1935 through 1940. In this photograph she captured three dancers in a mid-air leap, creating a sense of movement that seems to extend beyond the photograph.

“The most difficult, but also the most creative and exciting, part of dance photography is not so much the eventual picture as the groping and shaping toward a conception of what the picture ought to be.”

Barbara Morgan