Dancer in Fifth Position
circa 1885
Edgar Degas was absolutely obsessed with ballet dancers, producing thousands of sketches like this one around 1885 to capture their movement. What makes this drawing particularly charming is the artist's own handwritten notes scribbled in the margins—he wrote 'à la 5e' (in fifth position) at the top and 'revoir les pieds' (revise the feet) at the bottom. It’s like peeking into his private studio notebook and seeing him critique his own work, realizing the dancer's feet weren't quite right yet! This sketch reveals the raw, unpolished process behind his famous Impressionist masterpieces, proving that even artistic geniuses have to redraw the feet sometimes.
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