Dancer Making Points (Danseuse faisant des pointes), ca. 1874-1876. Edgar Degas. Pastel and gouache on paper mounted on board. Gift of Marion and Henry Bloch.
Illuminated by gas footlights in the midst of a performance, a dancer “makes points,” or draws forms with her pointed foot. Edgar Degas’s daring, asymmetrical composition and the angled perspective he produced by the diagonal lines of the floorboards emphasize the sensation of plunging space.
Degas is best known as a painter of ballet dancers, whether rehearsing in a studio or dancing on stage. He was captivated by their sometimes graceful, sometimes awkward positions, which he captured in a variety of media over the course of his career.
