What is Wrong with The Lady in the Red Dress?

 

Have you ever noticed that the lady in red dress is leading the man?  Look again, her left hand is up. 

Look even closer!  She is also following.  Her right arm is up in a follower's position.  This painting was last auctioned off for £744,800 in April 2004. It could be a symbol of a world in which men and women can be equally good at roles that are (poorly) called "leading and following."  Wouldn't you like to be in this new world in which women and men can show the way, take the lead when they have the talent?  It wasn't always possible.  Women were not allowed to be in many universities in spite of their high intellect and motivation until relatively recent history!

As for "followership" or the Yin energy of Yin and Yang, both men and women can be appropriately vulnerable and willing to follow sensitive way-finders.  This is Yin.  This painting is a symbol of the double-role person--not just a dancer, but a person who is capable of navigating the world well on one hand, and also being vulnerable on the other hand.  They can close their eyes and trust a worthy "guide," which is the term used in France instead of "leader."

The answer to the title, What is Wrong with the Lady in the Red Dress, is simple:  Nothing is wrong with her or her partner.  They are symbols, although unwittingly by the artist's mistake, that there are many possibilities in the world in which we now live.  Many would like the world to stay where it once was, but if that were to happen, they would be the loudest to complain.