Rehearsal of the Ballet, ca. 1876. Edgar Degas. Gouache and pastel over monotype on laid paper. Purchase: the Kenneth A. and Helen F. Spencer Foundation Acquisition Fund.
Edgar Degas depicted the ballet in a modern way, in both its splendor and triviality. Here, the artist contrasts the graceful movements of a dancer with the awkward poses of ballerinas adjusting their costumes in the compressed space. Degas also juxtaposes the young women in frothy frocks with the commanding air of the old ballet master to the left and the sinister appearance of the dark-suited, wealthy observer to the right.
