Dancers from Degas' Perspective

Edgar Degas’s career blossomed in the 1870s when the Impressionist movement was relatively young; however, instead of focusing on light and nature like most other impressionists, Degas was fascinated with movement and people. Using a variety of mediums and techniques, including pastels, watercolor, ink, and oil paint, he created hundreds of dancers, which became his signature object. The question has often been asked why Degas often painted ballet rehearsals or performances from the perspective of the wings or the corner of the room, almost as if he was not supposed to be there. The answer lies in the fact that he often attended the Paris opera house ballets; so often in fact, that he was allowed to walk through the rehearsal halls at his leisure. In doing this, he observed many classes from the perspective of an ordinary viewer, and occasionally he even painted the class while it was happening. The awkward movements included in many of Degas’ art pieces, such as yawning dancers or messy hair, can also be attributed to this fact as well. He took a discipline that is seemingly beautiful, flawless, and elegant to audiences and showed the unperfected, real side. The majority of pieces in Edgar Degas’ collection of dancers are created from the perspective of a viewer in the corner and exemplify the real, human, imperfect side of classical dance because this was Degas’ viewpoint for most of the rehearsals that he observed. 

 Title: The Ballet Class

Artist: Edgar Degas 

Date: 1871-74

Medium: oil on canvas

Museum Collection: Musée d’Orsay 

This painting exemplifies the awkwardness of behind-the-scenes preparation for the seemingly perfect ballet performances. In the bottom middle is a small brown dog and not far to the left of it is a green watering can. Both of these items seem odd to find in a ballet studio, which makes the scene feel odd and unpolished. The ballerina standing at the forefront of the picture has a fan in her hand, insinuating that it must be hot. The girl to the left of her is sitting on the piano and scratching her back. She looks exhausted.  The dance instructor in standing in the middle of the room feet apart resting his arms on a cane. There seems to be little organization to the room; some off the dancers are standing, some at sitting on the ground, and some rehearsing a dance. All of these elements contribute to making the painting seem real, authentic, and raw. 

Title: Ballet School

Artist: Edgar Degas

Date: 1873

Medium: oil on canvas

Collection: William A. Clark Collection (Corcoran Collection), Washington

This work by Degas is set in a room that seems unusual for a rehearsal hall. It made completely of wooden and on the left is a large winding staircase with dancers descending. This invokes a feeling of curiosity towards the unknown place where the staircase leads. This piece depicts a dancer wearing a bright red shirt over her tutu, which seems out of place and strange especially as it grabs the viewers’ attention right away. Most of the dancers seem to be standing around either watching or adjusting themselves; only two or three appear to be dancing. Several dancers in the foreground are bending over fixing their shoes and stretching. Untied shoes, ribbons, and a scarf lie on the floor. The dancers’ positions illicit a sense of unsophisticatedness, while the items on the floor create a sense of clutter and mess. All of these components unite to show the unprepared, imperfect side of classical dance. 

Title: The Dance Class

Artist: Edgar Degas

Date: 1874

Medium: oil on canvas 

Accession number: 1987.47.1

The similarity between this piece and Ballet School is striking. The angle of perspective and the placement of the dancers is very similar. The dance instructor has the same pose where he is leaning on his cane. Even so, there are several differences looking closely. There is a cello laying on the floor in the corner, instead of a piano, which creates a feeling of haphazardness. The dancer in the foreground of the picture is fiddling with the music stand, while other dancers are leaning against the wall, reading a book, and chatting. There appears to be only one or two girls rehearsing. In the back there are several figures dressed in normal clothes who are observing the rehearsal and conversing with the dancers. These characteristics of the picture create a scene of weariness from hours of practice, boredom while the dancers wait their turn to rehearse, and disorganization as the preparation for a performance has taken priority, all of which explore the vulnerable, imperfect side of dance. 

Title: The Dancing Class

Artist: Edgar Degas

Date: 1870

Medium: oil on wood

Accession number: 29.100.184

This painting was Degas’ first depiction of a dance class and it includes multiple details that convey an awkwardness and almost a sense that the viewer is intruding as an unwelcome guest, as if this is something not meant for him/her to view. This is meaningful because it shows that these aspects were important enough to Degas that he highlighted them in his very first depiction of a dance rehearsal and continued in his later paintings. In this painting one of the dancers is leaning over the barre crying, two are stretching, one is rehearsing, and the others are resting or adjusting themselves. The way in which the dancers are configured cause the room to seems almost cramped and the watering can, top hat, and violin case contribute to a sense of clutter. The presence of the watering can adds some confusion for the viewer as it seems out of place in a dance studio. The way each dancer is caught up in their own world and seemingly unaware of a visitor watching them amplifies the uncomfortable feeling for the viewer. 

Title: The Rehearsal of the Ballet Onstage 

Artist: Edgar Degas

Date: 1874

Medium: Oil colors freely mixed with turpentine, with traces of watercolor and pastel over pen-and-ink drawing on cream-colored wove paper, laid down on bristol board and mounted on canvas

Accession number: 29.160.26

This multi-version painting is perhaps the most realistic rehearsal of all of Degas’ depictions. This assertation is built upon the effect that the details, such as the dancer in the back yawning, have on the viewer. For example, there are three men in black suits but only two are sitting off to the side observing; the other is standing in the middle of the dancers with his arms raised as if he is conducting. His proximity to the dancers is slightly unnerving as it creates a feeling of anxiousness that someone will collide. The scaffolding in the back signals an unfinished set. The pose of the dancer in the foreground of the painting is awkward as her arm is bend behind her head and she is bending forward at a strange angle. These details cause the painting to seem “off” because, while awkwardness, exhaustion, and boredom seem acceptable in a private rehearsal room, they seem out of place on a stage.