Dancers Practicing at the Barre
1877
Degas was obsessed with the ballet, but unlike other painters, he skipped the glamorous stage moments to show the hard, sweaty work behind the scenes. In this scene, two young dancers in white tutus stretch at the barre against a rough, yellow wall, their poses looking candid and almost awkward rather than perfectly poised. The high perspective emphasizes the vast wooden floor, leading your eye to a humble watering can in the corner—used to dampen the wood and keep dust from flying up! It’s a perfect example of Impressionism capturing a fleeting, unglamorous moment of real life.
- Technique
- Oil on canvas
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