I’ve been spending a little bit of time on GoogleArts and Culture lately. Even without the pandemic, I can’t travel very often- it is a handy way to explore. (There will be a full post on Google Arts and Culture in September!) And of course being a dancer, I looked to find different ballet related exhibitions and pieces. Luckily there were many to choose from; obviously I had to spend some time on Degas. (I think we all saw this coming…) Today’s Culture Bite is exploring The Ballet Class by Edgar Degas, one of my favourite paintings!
Who was Edgar Degas?
Best known for his sculpture of a young dancer, Edgar Degas was born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas. Understandably, he chose a more streamlined name when working as an adult. He worked in several different mediums, including bronze, pastel, and oil paint. He originally trained to do history painting- yes, that is a thing- but chose to use those methods on contemporary subject matter. Many people did and still do consider Degas an Impressionist, but he considered himself a Realist. (He was not a fan of the Impressionist method of painting en plein air, aka painting outdoors.) But luckily for me, he was a big fan of the ballet!
The Ballet Class by Edgar Degas
Degas attended the opera house frequently, both to watch productions from the audience and to study the dancers and performers backstage. (Yes, after 1875, he would have been at the Palais Garnier!) Most often his works featured dancers in rehearsal rather than performing onstage, and that includes The Ballet Class. According to Google Arts and Culture (linked above), “Degas closely observed the most spontaneous, natural, ordinary gestures, the pauses when concentration is relaxed and the body slumps after the exhausting effort of practising and the implacable rigour of the class.” Even from a young age, I recognised how those dancers felt and that has always stuck with me.
Have you seen Edgar Degas’ The Ballet Class?
Cheers,
The Historian
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