Dancer at Rest, Hands on Her Hips, Left Leg Forward 1873 - 1920

Curator: Oh, there's something wonderfully sassy about this one! The bronze patina gives it an earthy quality, but her pose? Hands on her hips, she’s like a dancer giving the audience a bit of attitude. Editor: Indeed. What we're looking at is Edgar Degas' "Dancer at Rest, Hands on Her Hips, Left Leg Forward." While the piece dates from 1873 to 1920, it is part of his broader investigation of dancers in various states of motion and repose. You'll find it now at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Curator: Repose, huh? She seems far from it! To me, she's a fighter, a performer catching her breath, ready to go back out there. Is that just me projecting? Editor: Degas often captured dancers during informal moments, between acts or in practice. In the late 19th century, the Paris Opera Ballet became both a site of artistic fascination and intense social scrutiny. Degas’ sculptures invite consideration on ballet's social realities and its participants. Curator: Right! The political angle. Thinking about the expectations placed on these women… That posture could also be defiance, refusing to conform entirely, even in "rest." The roughness of the bronze—almost unfinished in places—emphasizes that she’s real, not some idealized figure. Editor: The wax was deliberately left rugged, a departure from traditional smooth, classical forms. His engagement with capturing modern life went hand in hand with his artistic and social positioning in avant-garde circles. Curator: It feels… immediate, doesn’t it? Less like a statement and more like a stolen moment, full of the dancer’s physical presence. It reminds you that ballet dancers aren’t simply graceful swans; they are athletes. Editor: Precisely, a window into a rigorous, and often quite public life, and that, in turn, tells us about a slice of Parisian society in Degas' time. Curator: I will certainly think twice now when viewing classical ballet; so, that makes me glad for the piece and its ability to transcend assumptions! Editor: Well put; here’s hoping it inspires such thinking for all our listeners, too!