Arcadópolis
The Dance Class
Edgar Degas, 1874
What you see
We see the room on a diagonal, from one corner. In the foreground, a dancer with a red flower in her hair bows her head beside a music stand. Behind her, other pupils practice, one with her arm raised. On the right, the teacher, in a pale suit and red scarf, leans on his cane. At the back, on a set of steps, more dancers and women in hats wait.
The grey-white tutus glow against the sea-green wall, and blue, pink and red sashes add small bursts of color. A large mirror reflects a window and other dancers. Notice the double bass propped at lower left, the poster on the wall, and the signature near the bottom left edge.
About Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas is famous for his ballet dancers, whom he painted in classes, rehearsals and backstage more than a thousand times. He liked to capture movements of a single instant, as if they were photographs. Besides oil paint, he often used pastels, sticks of colour that give a soft, velvety look.
More by Edgar Degas
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