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The
Painting
Edgar Degas,
The Dance Lesson, c. 1879, oil on canvas, National Gallery
of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon 1995.47.6
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The
Dance Lesson, 1878
In more than 1,500 works of art, Edgar Degas
portrayed the Paris Opera-Ballet in all its varied guises: the prima
ballerina on stage, bowing to her audience, the rehearsal
halls with dancers en pointe and at rest, the dance
masters, the orchestra
musicians, even the spectators who subscribed each year to the
ballet season. |
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But
the subject that dominates more than half of his ballet paintings
are back room scenes like The Dance Lesson: dancers resting
in the studio, propped awkwardly on a chair or the floor, heads
down, exhausted after practicing to the ceaseless demands of the
ballet master.
 
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