Dancers in Pink 1885

Edgar Degas painted "Dancers in Pink" with oil on canvas at an unknown date. Degas is well known for his paintings of dancers, and these works provide a window into the social and cultural structures of 19th-century France. He painted this work during the French Third Republic when ballet was a popular form of entertainment, but it was also associated with the exploitation of young women from working-class backgrounds. The Paris Opera Ballet was an important institution, but dancers were poorly paid and vulnerable to sexual exploitation by wealthy patrons. Degas’s paintings often hint at these power dynamics through his choice of perspective and by showing dancers at vulnerable, unguarded moments backstage. Art historians often consult archival sources such as newspapers, police records, and theater programs to gain a deeper understanding of the social and cultural contexts in which artists like Degas worked.