Acrobat on a Ball, 1905

       The rose period, which lasted from 1904 to 1906, took its name from the ochre and pale pink that dominate these canvases - and also from the feelings of tenderness and fragility that emanate from the figures.  They are often acrobats or harlequins, artists on the fringe whose gestures speak of vulnerability, grace and humility.

Acrobat on a Ball, 1905

       An athlete whose large muscled back is turned to us is seated on a cube.  He watches a young woman standing on a ball.  Her arms are raised in a charming gesture, and her arched body suggests a precarious equilibrium.  On one side is strength, stability, mastery; on the other, lightness, agility, grace.  The forms of the cube and the sphere, continue this opposition.

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