"I can actually feel the interior body of a dancer. I have the ability to capture a split second... I want you to be hit with whatever the essence is of this sculpture"
About this Quote
The split second matters because dance is designed to vanish. Sculpture is designed to stay. That tension is the whole project: arresting a moment without killing it. A dancer’s line can look effortless, but it’s built from pressure and decision; his job is to freeze the evidence of that decision so the viewer still reads motion in the stillness. When he says he wants you to be “hit,” he’s aiming past admiration into impact. Not “look how accurate,” but “feel what it costs.”
Contextually, MacDonald sits in a very classical tradition - bronzes that honor form, discipline, idealized bodies - yet he’s framing it in contemporary terms: essence, immediacy, the punch of an image. The subtext is almost competitive: if photography can steal the instant, sculpture can steal the sensation.
Quote Details
| Topic | Art |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
MacDonald, Richard. (2026, January 16). I can actually feel the interior body of a dancer. I have the ability to capture a split second... I want you to be hit with whatever the essence is of this sculpture. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-can-actually-feel-the-interior-body-of-a-dancer-85113/
Chicago Style
MacDonald, Richard. "I can actually feel the interior body of a dancer. I have the ability to capture a split second... I want you to be hit with whatever the essence is of this sculpture." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-can-actually-feel-the-interior-body-of-a-dancer-85113/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I can actually feel the interior body of a dancer. I have the ability to capture a split second... I want you to be hit with whatever the essence is of this sculpture." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-can-actually-feel-the-interior-body-of-a-dancer-85113/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.





