On Stage III 1876 - 1877

Edgar Degas created this etching, On Stage III, in the late 19th century, capturing a moment of theatrical performance. Note the dancer's outstretched arm, a gesture that echoes the classical figure of the nymph or the maenad, a symbol of wild ecstasy and inspiration. Consider the symbolic weight of the gesture. We find this reaching out, this striving, in the ancient world and in the Renaissance. Think of Botticelli's Venus, reborn from the sea; her gesture embodies a yearning for something just beyond reach. Yet here, in Degas' modern Paris, it is transposed to the stage. The dancer's outstretched arm may evoke a sense of liberation, yet it’s confined within the artificial space of the theatre. The stage becomes a mirror, reflecting and refracting ancient motifs through a contemporary lens. What once signified divine inspiration now plays out under the gaze of an audience, a powerful force engaging our subconscious with a deep sense of longing and aspiration. The cyclical dance continues.