The Orchestra At The Opera
circa 1870
Edgar Degas gives us a front-row seat to the Paris Opera, but instead of focusing on the glamorous ballerinas, he zooms in on the hardworking musicians in the pit below. The central figure, a bassoonist with a comically puffed-out cheek, anchors the scene while the delicate, floating tutus of the dancers are cropped out at the top, showing only their legs. It's a brilliant, slightly cheeky glimpse into the unglamorous reality of 19th-century theater life, capturing the men who provided the soundtrack to the spectacle above.
- Technique
- Oil on canvas
Location: Musée d'Orsay, Paris
Views: 3