GENERAL DESCRIPTION
While Group of Dancers features Edgar Degas's signature subject of ballet dancers, it is also a curious experiment in medium and setting. Rather than drawing with pastels on paper, Degas worked on a wooden panel, a material more commonly used as a support for paint. The wood is streaked with layers of pastel and gouache (opaque watercolor), which together produce a refined satin finish; however, the wood grain of the panel remains visible and thus becomes part of the composition. Degas positions his dancers against what may be a stage backdrop showing a landscape with ancient ruins, likely the Athenian acropolis, as an allusion to a distant classical past.
Excerpt from
Heather MacDonald, DMA label copy, 2015.
NOTES
Created c. 1895-1897
Geography probably Paris, but I cannot confirm for that range of time.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Degas, Edgar (French, 1834-1917)
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Pastel on panel
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
13315431: UMO Degas, Dance, Dallas Richard Kendall
44996925: UMO Learn more about Degas
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- YouTube~Watch this animated video about Degas's depictions of ballet dancers from the "Art with Mati and Dada" series.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York~Learn more about Edgar Degas.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1985.R.25
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General Description
While Group of Dancers features Edgar Degas's signature subject of ballet dancers, it is also a curious experiment in medium and setting. Rather than drawing with pastels on paper, Degas worked on a wooden panel, a material more commonly used as a support for paint. The wood is streaked with layers of pastel and gouache (opaque watercolor), which together produce a refined satin finish; however, the wood grain of the panel remains visible and thus becomes part of the composition. Degas positions his dancers against what may be a stage backdrop showing a landscape with ancient ruins, likely the Athenian acropolis, as an allusion to a distant classical past.
Excerpt from
Heather MacDonald, DMA label copy, 2015.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- YouTube~Watch this animated video about Degas's depictions of ballet dancers from the "Art with Mati and Dada" series.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York~Learn more about Edgar Degas.
Notes
Created c. 1895-1897
Geography probably Paris, but I cannot confirm for that range of time.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Degas, Edgar (French, 1834-1917)
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Pastel on panel
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
13315431: UMO Degas, Dance, Dallas Richard Kendall
44996925: UMO Learn more about Degas
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1985.R.25
source file
object_notes_2_c-0168.xml.nores