Edgar Degas (1834 – 1917), Danseuses en Blanc (c.1878), Signed Degas (upper right), Pastel and gouache on joined paper, 20 7/8 by 25 3/8 in., 53 by 65.2 cm, Source: Sotheby’s Degas – Painter of the Ballet In this sparklingly fresh work in pastel, Degas captures a group of four dancers in mid-flight…
Tag: ballet
Edgar Degas, La Loge (1880), via The Paris Review
Art and the Stories We Tell Ourselves Cody Delistraty writes in The Paris Review, “Degas ultimately thought that his paintings of the women who performed at the opera cut through the stories they were telling themselves, about their claims to beauty, status, and talent. He believed that was the goal of the artist: to separate…
Edgar Degas: The Entrance of the Masked Dancers (1879)
Connection: Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’ According to ClarkArt.edu, “Unlike many of Degas’s ballet scenes, which combine details from sketches made at different times, this pastel relates to a specific production of Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’. The viewpoint is that of an abonné, a subscriber with privileged access, like the top-hatted gentleman on the far side of the…
Edgar Degas: The Singer in Green (c.1884)
A sale catalogue in 1898 described the dancer pictured in Edgar Degas’ pastel, The Singer in Green: “Skinny and with the graceful moves of a little monkey, she has just sung her ribald verses and, with a gesture that conceals an entreaty behind her smile, is inviting applause.” With her small eyes, high cheeks, and…
Edgar Degas: The Ballet Class (1871-1874)
I enjoyed this excellent analysis of The Ballet Class at Artschaft: Compared to the other Impressionists, Edgar Degas was more of a traditionalist. The Frenchman didn’t paint en plein air, his color palette was subdued for much of his career and his spontaneity was painstakingly rehearsed. With a fascination for human anatomy reminiscent of Leonardo…
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake with Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev
Swan Lake, Op. 20 Composer: Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Dancers: Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev with members of Wiener Staatsopernballett Ballet in 4 acts by: Vladimir Begitchev and Vasily Geltzer Orchestra: Wiener Symphoniker Conductor: John Lanchbery Choreography: Rudolf Nureyev Directed: Truck Branss Image source Edgar Degas, The Entrance of the Masked Dancers (1882), Pastel…
Hauser: ‘The Swan’ by Camille Saint-Saëns with Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra
Hauser performs The Swan (Le Cygne) by Camille Saint-Saëns from The Carnival of the Animals with the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra at his classical solo concert at the Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb, October 2017. Image Credit: Edgar Degas (1834-1917) The Orchestra at the Opera, c.1870, Oil on canvas, H. 56.5; W. 45 cm, Paris,…
Cynthia Gregory and Ivan Nagy: “In A Rehearsal Room”
The Story – Seven Minutes of Magic According to shippermd, this video is “An EXTREMELY RARE, 1976 film-short of a romantic Pas de Deux Ballet to Pachelbel’s Canon In D Major.” Produced by David Hahn and choreographed by William Carter, this film highlights the talents of dancers Cynthia Gregory and Ivan Nagy. About ‘In A…
Edgar Degas: Dancers in Blue (1895)
Dancers in Blue (1895). Edgar Degas (French, 1834-1917). Oil on canvas. Musée d’Orsay. “Whereas previously in his “dance classes” Degas focused on isolated figures and large spaces, here he groups together four figures making adjustments to their hair and costumes, almost forming one single creature with several heads, several arms and several feet. The shapes…
