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Jan 6, 2021 · Edgar Degas. Although it enjoyed unprecedented popularity in Degas’ era, the ballet – and the figure of the ballerina – had suffered a demoralizing fate by the late 1800s. Some performances...
Learn how the artist's famous sculpture of a young ballerina was inspired by a real street urchin who dreamed of dancing at the Paris Opera. Discover the musical theater show that reimagines her life and the National Gallery of Art exhibition that displays the original wax sculpture.
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In the 1870s, Degas helped pioneer Impressionism. Like his fellow French artists, he employed quick brushstrokes and used vivid color in his paintings. Unlike other Impressionists, however, Degas was not preoccupied with light and nature. Instead, he was fascinated by movement and people—making ballerinas his ideal subject. “People call me the pain...
Degas' pastel drawings of dancers are among his most well-known works. Many of the pieces, including The Star(1878), capture the spectacle of the ballet through idealized compositions, frenzied sketches, and backdrops spotlit with saturated color. Similarly, some pastel studies, like Dancers at the Barre (1900), show the ballerinas as they warm up....
Unlike his pastels, Degas' oil paintings of dancers do not typically showcase on-stage performances. Instead, pieces like The Dance Class (1874) andThe Dance Lesson (1879) offer a realistic glimpse into what goes on behind the curtain, featuring the girls as they quietly stretch, calmly rest, and listlessly listen to their instructor. These pieces ...
Unlike pastel drawings and paintings on canvas, Degas did not produce a comprehensive collection of ballerina-inspired sculptures. However, the one that he did create—Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen—has become one of his most famous dancer depictions. Degas sculpted the wax figurine in 1880 and exhibited it at the sixth Impressionist exhibition the fo...
Learn how the Impressionist artist Edgar Degas painted, drew, and sculpted ballerinas in various mediums and styles. Discover his famous works, such as The Star, The Dance Class, and Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen.
Learn about Degas's obsession with dance and his innovative techniques to capture movement and color in his paintings, drawings and sculptures. Discover how his art influenced a new ballet, La Petite Danseuse de Degas, at the Paris Opéra.
A painting of a ballet class in the old Paris Opéra, commissioned by the singer Jean-Baptiste Faure in 1873. Learn about the artist, the subject, the style, and the context of this Impressionist masterpiece.
Learn about the history and significance of Degas's famous sculpture of a ballerina, cast from a wax model with real cloth and ribbon. See how the artist captured the grace and awkwardness of a young dancer in a classic pose.
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Learn about Degas' artistic style and influences, his focus on modern life, and his innovative use of media and perspective. Explore his paintings and pastels of ballet dancers, which capture their movement and physicality in various settings and angles.
