Edgar Degas (1834-1917) was born in Paris. As the son of a
wealthy banker he was free to paint without having to worry about making an
income from his art. He was not particularly sociable, being regarded by his
contemporaries as being a somewhat forbidding character.
Despite having sympathies with the principles of
Impressionism, and being acutely aware of the opportunities offered by
exploring the boundaries of light and colour, his prime interest was in
capturing movement, primarily that of racehorses and of people at work.
Ballet dancers often featured in his work, with Le Foyer
de la Danse á l’Opéra, painted in 1872, being a prime
example. His method of work involved close observation and analysis of a scene,
recorded by numerous sketches, before he worked on the final painting in his
studio.
The painting conveys an atmosphere of uninterrupted
activity, being a snapshot of the Opera dancers hard at work, either keeping in
shape or practicing their routines. Nothing is posed and there is no awareness
by any of the dancers or other subjects of anyone else being present. There is
a variety of activity going on – some dancers are at the barre, one is resting
on a chair, and one is being coached by an instructor while other dancers look
on and a violinist prepares to play.
The painting has been carefully constructed to draw the
viewer in. The centre of the canvas is virtually empty, with all the features
of interest being arranged towards the sides and edges, thus forcing the eye to
move around and give the painting more attention than might otherwise have been
the case. The groups on either side are linked by the red line of the barre and
the other splashes of red on the canvas – a sash on the extreme right and a fan
on the foreground chair - also lead the eye to complete the frame by drifting
to the painter’s signature at the bottom left.
The open space in the centre, and the apparently random
arrangement of people and furniture, accentuate the life and immediacy of the
painting. A mirror reflects a group outside the composition and a girl whisks
past a half-open door – perhaps she is on her way to another dance studio. Everything
suggests that there is movement beyond what we can see.
Le Foyer de la Danse á l’Opéra is exhibited at the Musée
d’Orsay, Paris.
© John Welford
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