The depiction of grace and rhythm
as expressed by the human body through the movements of dance was a shared goal
of Martha Graham, the dominating figure in the modern dance movement, and Barbara
Morgan, her portraitist. In 1941, after studying the movements of Graham's
dance closely, arriving at an understanding of their implications and essential
meanings, and carefully choosing the definitive moments to illustrate, Morgan
published a book containing photographs of sixteen of them. As portrayed by
Morgan, Graham's choreography is poetic, gestural, and symbolic of the natural
forces of the earth. In this passage of the "Puritan Love Duet" in
the dance American Document, the sharply delineated forms of the dancers
are enhanced by the dramatic lighting. They intertwine and swirl, only
momentarily arrested in their pas de deux by the action of the camera's
shutter.