Edgar Degas, the Dance Class II

Painted by Edgar Degas in 1874 "Dance Class II" was commissioned on the request of Jean-Baptiste Fure, a French composer and opera singer. Edgar Degas’s painting presents a dance class taking place at the rehearsal room in the old Paris Opéra. The painting is considered impressionistic, but we can sense some of Degas’ realism in it as well. He combined the elements of both styles, although it was primarily associated with seeking the fleeting impressions and dynamics of movement which emphasized the subtle, elegant figures.
Impressionism was a trend in European art, which was launched by a group of artists (including Edgar Degas) studying in Paris Atelier Gleyere and Academie Suisse in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The most striking feature impressionist tried to convey in their art was casting the sensory fleeting moments. The Impressionists painted the realities of the world around them using bright colors, concentrating primarily on the effects of light. Landscapes are very popular amongst impressionist painters because of elapsing time and things constantly changing in nature.
Degas was a regular at the Paris opera house, not only as a viewer in the audience, but as a visitor backstage and in the dance studio, where he was introduced by a friend who played in the orchestra. Obsessed with the ballet, Edgar Degas created hundreds of paintings which captured the cruel realities of the dancer’s lives. His favorite subjects were ballerinas at work, in rehearsal or at rest; he also explored the theme in many variations, in postures and gestures.
The work was composed in a way that the recipient's eyes move along the wall, watching the dancers shown in this variety of poses. In the foreground we can see dancers helping one another with the dress. Mid-ground shows the teacher, Jules Perrot, the elderly and short man, known for his great skill, which allowed him to become one of the most respected dancers of the nineteenth century. He is dressed in a silver suit and leaning on a cane almost as big as him, in a very meaningful, even crude pose. Around him are dancers. These are mainly young girls dressed in typical ballerina dresses. One of them is preforming for the male teacher in the center of the painting. Others seem to be practicing poses, sitting, resting and some are standing. Most The young dancers are likely accompanied by their mothers or nannies standing in the very back of the room.
In this impressionistic work Edgar Degas was able to capture the moment of motion. The bright color tone in which the ballerina is presented, focuses the viewer’s eyes on her. The white dress and pale skin of the dancers emphasized femininity, delicacy, subtlety - characteristics that every ballerina should have. Degas color pallet of the painting is extremely rich. The spatial rehearsal room is bright, and the gentle pistachio walls work well with brown beams. Girl’s dresses are white, but decorated with multi-colored elements. Some of the students also have colored bands in their hair.
As the ballerina which seems to be the main subject is not placed right in the middle, it creates a more natural and realistic effect, showing the large area that she needs for her routine. We get a similar effect from the teacher being on the right edge of the picture. This image shows the delicate, subtle, graceful, and yet very dynamic and full of expression ballerinas. Watching this work It feels as if watching the whole show.
Degas’s pictures of ballerinas performing onstage convey exquisitely what makes ballet. All the balance, grace and radiance that a contemporary critic called “mimed poetry, dream made visible.” But, personally he preferred to portray ballet by stripping away the poetry and illusion to show the hard work, the boredom, the more common beauty behind the scenes. He was fascinated with the pain ballet inflicted on female bodies. And the revolutionary mix of beauty and brutality that gave such power to his vision. However, beyond the beauty of this work, Degas has created a voyeuristic gaze and experience for its viewers. He’s implying a point of view that suggests we are looking into an activity in which the ballerinas are unaware of our presence. We, as the viewer are in some way forced to feel the pleasure or rather satisfaction from looking at the unaware girls. Therefore, this becomes problematic because we as the viewers are objectifying the ballerinas with our gaze.
With a clear fascination with human forms he quickly revealed his passion for contemporary subject matter, becoming a specialist on the dramatic world of ballet and theater. The artist gave us on his paintings several secret glimpses into rehearsal studios. He combined both traditional and modern approaches giving a new status to everyday life. There are many points of contact between a classical ballet style and painting by Degas, Which might, to some extent explain his interest. Classical ballet is an art form of extremely precise, balanced, and perfection is achieved only through systematic, multiple repetition and practice. Degas’ Art also has a remarkable precision. Very complex work - full form in a variety of poses - also demonstrates his great skill in composition Degas at the time of the creation of this work undoubtedly was influenced by the Impressionists, with whom, after exhibited his work.

Works Cited
"Edgar Degas: The Dance Class" (1987.47.1) In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1987.47.1. (December 2008). n.d.
edgar-degas.org. edgar-degas.org. n.d. online. 01 12 2014.
History, Totally. totallyhistory.com. n.d. online. 01 12 2014.
Richardson, John. "Degas and the Dancers." Vanityfair October 2002. online.
Trachtman, Paul. "Degas and His Dancers." Smithsonian Magazine April 2003. online.