Dancer at the
Gates of Dawn captures the human figure at the threshold between darkness and
light. A monumental dancer emerges from a richly layered field of crimson,
gold, orange and blue, her body appearing to move through rather than simply
occupy the painted space.

The
glowing orb of the rising sun creates a powerful counterpoint to the figure.
The dancer and the dawn become almost inseparable - both suggesting movement,
transformation and renewal. Cottingham does not attempt to describe the body
precisely; instead, sweeping lines and layers of colour convey the sensation
and rhythm of movement.

This
relationship between dance and abstraction is fundamental to Cottingham’s work.
His figures are deliberately allowed to appear and dissolve within colour,
leaving the viewer with the sensation of movement rather than a fixed
representation.