Little Girl Practicing at the Bar
ca. 1878-80
Degas was famously obsessed with the gritty reality of ballet, and this sketch proves he wasn't just interested in the glamour. Here, a young dancer is caught mid-kick in a 'battement,' her face focused and serious as she grips the barre for balance. You can see the artist’s own handwriting scribbled on the page—'battement à la seconde'—making it feel less like a finished portrait and more like a choreographer’s quick notebook entry. It’s a wonderful, unpolished glimpse into the exhausting rehearsal room of 19th-century Paris.
- Technique
- Charcoal and white chalk on paper
- Material
- Paper
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