Violinist, Study for "The Dance Lesson"
Original title: Violinist, Study for "The Dance Lesson"
kurzbeschreibung
Created around 1878–79, this pastel and charcoal drawing by Edgar Degas is on green wove paper. It is one of the preparatory studies for the painting 'The Dance Class' and depicts a violinist. The technique combines pastel with charcoal, and the sheet has been squared in charcoal for transfer.
Description
The musician appears in profile, his head tilted slightly to the right. He wears a dark coat over a red shirt with orange accents. His left hand grips the neck of the violin, while his right hand draws the bow. Fine layers of pastel and charcoal shape his face. The background remains in muted greys, drawing the eye to the player.
Context
This study relates to Degas's painting 'The Dance Class' (1879), now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The artist repeatedly engaged with musicians in the ballet world. The squaring of the paper suggests the arrangement was prepared for transfer to a larger format or for a print. A letterpress impression on the verso points to the reuse of the sheet.
Impact
Pastel and charcoal create a soft, sketch-like surface that seems to capture the moment of playing music. The subdued colours and spare background focus attention entirely on the violinist's posture and movement.
Technique
For this work Degas used pastel and charcoal on green wove paper. A charcoal grid covers the drawing to enable transfer. The pastel layers are applied partly as glazes, while charcoal provides contours and shading.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)