Ballet Dancers
c. 1877
Medium
pastel and gouache over monotype
Dimensions
Overall: 29.7 x 26.9 cm (11 11/16 x 10 9/16 in.) framed: 46.6 x 43.5 x 6.3 cm (18 3/8 x 17 1/8 x 2 1/2 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection
Accession Number
1970.17.27
Art Historical Context
Step into the luminous world of Edgar Degas's *Ballet Dancers* (c. 1877), a captivating small-scale drawing that exemplifies the artist's lifelong fascination with the Paris Opéra ballet. Degas, a leading figure in the Impressionist movement, captured dancers not as ethereal performers on stage but in candid, everyday moments—rehearsing, stretching, or pausing amid the rigors of their world. Created during the height of Impressionism in late 19th-century France, this intimate work (just 29.7 x 26.9 cm) reflects the era's interest in modern life, fleeting movement, and the behind-the-scenes gla...
About the Artist
Edgar Degas · 1834–1917
Edgar Degas (1834-1917) stands as one of the most innovative artists of the nineteenth century, whose distinctive vision transformed how modern life could be depicted on canvas. Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas in Paris to a wealthy banking family—his father French, his mother a Louisiana Creole from New Orleans—Degas received a classical education before abandoning law studies in 1855 to pursue ...