Dancer with a Fan (ca. 1880)
Original title: Dancer with a Fan
kurzbeschreibung
Edgar Degas, circa 1880: a ballerina holding a fan, captured in pastel on gray-green laid paper. This sheet belongs to his series of dancer studies.
Description
The dancer stands with her head raised, gripping the fan. Her tutu and ballet shoes are standard attire. Gray and beige set the tone, with an orange accent in her hair. The layout remains spare and centers entirely on the figure; no props or other people appear.
Context
At this time Degas worked repeatedly around the Paris Opera. During rehearsals and performances he observed the dancers and recorded poses and movements in numerous studies. Pastel grew more important to him in the 1880s because it allowed him to work quickly and with bold colors.
Impact
The subdued colors and focused arrangement give the sheet a quiet, almost intimate mood. Because the dancer looks upward, a sense of distance arises; she seems lost in her own thoughts.
Technique
The image is executed in pastel on gray-green laid paper. Degas used the paper's grain to smudge the chalk in places and achieve soft transitions. The underlying tone remains part of the overall effect.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)