Dancers 1895

Edgar Degas made this pastel drawing of dancers sometime in the late nineteenth century. This was a period in France when artistic and cultural institutions like the Paris Opera were central to social life. Degas was fascinated by the ballet, but not the spectacle on stage. He preferred to paint behind-the-scenes moments of dancers rehearsing or resting. His work gives us a glimpse into the lives of these young women, who often came from poor backgrounds and faced intense pressure to succeed. The ballet was hierarchical with powerful men often exerting control over the dancers' careers. Degas often shows the dancers in awkward poses, highlighting the physical demands of their profession, but rarely showing the full performance. To understand Degas's art, historians consult archives and investigate the social conditions that shaped the lives of dancers. This helps us understand how art reflects and critiques the world in which it was made.