Description
Degas’s Seated Dancer attends to a quieter part of ballet’s working life. The dancer sits facing forward, knees together beneath a rounded pale tutu, with her head bowed slightly to the right. A darker neckline accents the light bodice, and the pink paper gives the figure a warm ground. Graphite and charcoal establish the pose, while white touches bring light into the costume and the body.
Made in 1873–74, the sheet was squared for transfer, a reminder that its apparently immediate observation also served a carefully planned artistic process. The grid allowed Degas to carry the figure into another composition while preserving its proportions. That practical purpose does not lessen the drawing’s independence. The differing weights of line and light make the sitter’s pose something to examine in its own right, with stillness providing the measure of the body.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Edgar Degas collection.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.