Two Dancers in Green Skirts, Landscape Scener 1899

Edgar Degas captured this artwork of two dancers in green skirts, landscape scenery, using oil on canvas. Degas was fascinated by the ballet, an interest shaped by the social norms of 19th-century Paris, where ballet was intertwined with the city's elite social circles. The dancers' bodies and their green skirts appear weightless and ethereal. Yet, this romantic image of the ballet contrasts sharply with the discipline and rigor that defined the dancers' lives, often young women from poor backgrounds who sought financial security through performance. Degas gives us a glimpse backstage, the ballerinas are possibly caught between acts, in a moment of rest, where one dancer adjusts her skirt, her body turned away from us. Degas' art prompts us to consider the complex intersection of class, gender, and performance. These themes are central to understanding the artist's work and the world he depicted.