4. Edgar Degas, French, 1834-1917. Frieze of Dancers, c. 1883. Oil on canvas, 70 x 200.6 cm. Gift of the Hanna Fund, 1946.83

In Frieze of Dancers, Edgar Degas presents four views of a dancer stooping to tie her slipper, as if he had placed his dancer in the center of the room, then walked around her, painting her from various locations. Degas' interest in the effect of light on color is evident in the jade-green shadows that contrast with the warm touches of orange in the figure's hair, suggesting stage footlights, and the different angles of a spotlight reflected by the various tones of orange in the hair. The horizontal shape of the canvas also calls to mind a sculptural frieze, a mural painting, or a Japanese screen, all of which appealed to the artist. As he often did in the work of this period and later, Degas used his thumb to create the colored patches below the dancer.

Before the turn of the century, dancers usually came from working-class families; they began intense training at age six or seven in the hope of becoming professionals. Admiring their well-disciplined bodies, Degas created many images of them, particularly late in his career, sometimes combining figures and poses from earlier works. Frieze of Dancers shows two conspicuous departures from typical impressionist practice: the emphasis on line (evident in the bold, black brush strokes outlining the dancer's body, in particular her wrist and the back of her ankle) and his preference for working in the studio rather than outdoors. He influenced other artists deeply, especially Mary Cassatt.

Vivian Kung and Patricia Richmond
Teacher Resource Center
Department of Education and Public Programs

© 1997 The Cleveland Museum of Art