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The Dancing Class
Painting by Edgar Degas From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Dancing Class is an oil painting on wood executed ca. 1870 by the French artist Edgar Degas. The painting depicts a dancing class at the Paris Opéra.[1] The dancer in the center is Joséphine Gaujelin (or Gozelin).[2] This piece is confirmed as one of Degas's earliest classroom scenes[3]: 135 and is considered to be foundational to the development of his ballet series.[4]: 208 The work is known by various titles, including The Dancing Class, [3]: 135 Dance Class, [5]: 187 and Rehearsal Room,[4]: 207 and its dating varies across sources, cited as 1871,[5]: 187 1872, [6]: 86 and 1871–1872.[3]: 135
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Background and Creation
The Dancing Class is one of Degas's initial attempts at depicting the rehearsal space, and this particular work has been cited as evidence of Degas's unfamiliarity with the environment.[3]: 135 This observation is supported by the fact that Degas relied on preparatory studies rather than in-the-moment observation, as Degas was not familiar with the subject matter at the time this work was created. The unfamiliar presence of Degas in the practice room led to the dancers appearing stiff and self-conscious. This early stiffness in The Dancing Class is often contrasted with the more relaxed and fluid forms of the dancers in his future, more intimate works.[3]: 135
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Composition and Style
The Dancing Class has been seen as a template for Degas's later classroom scenes. It is the first work in the series to introduce several motifs that would become central to his ballet paintings, including the barre, the reflective mirrors, and the bare floorboards.[4]: 208 Degas is noted for painting his dancers in a "highly-articulated architectural setting."[4]: 208 He frequently employs the use of architectural structures and careful placement of figures to control the viewers gaze and impression a scene.[5]: 189–190 This work's design and spatial arrangement have led scholars to cite the influence of the Spanish master Velázquez in relation to its composition.[4]: 208
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Critical Reception
Upon its initial exhibition, The Dancing Class was met with negative attention. In 1874, the critic Montifaud describes the dancers as both "genre figures and classical nudes."[7]: 53 Montifaud specifically viewed the figures as "a series of erotica." [7]: 53 Other contemporary critics also reacted harshly, describing the dancers' as "dirty, unattractive, incoherent bodies" and the "cruelties and brutalities of the artist's vision."[7]: 53 While not well-received at the time, the piece is emblematic of Degas overarching commentary in his important dancing series.
Interpretation and Themes
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Perspective
When considering the themes of The Dancing Class, scholars move beyond a focus on the painting's formal qualities and consider its broader social and historical contexts in late nineteenth-century Paris. This work is significant as an early depiction of women in these settings, which follows Degas's commitment to documenting modern life.[5]: 187 Modern day art historians, specifically Eunice Lipton, suggest Degas's images resonate with more contemporary issues of class, sex, and work. [6]: 97 By capturing the dancers in intimate moments, like stretching, practicing, or resting, Degas was making public what was intensely private. Degas was able to bring his middle class audience into spaces they could not view themselves, effectively attempting to share his privilege with spectators. [6]: 99 The painting presents oppositional themes, contrasting the dancers as a desirable object of eroticism with their portrayal as a realistic subject of social documentation.[7]: 53 This duality acknowledges the viewer's experience is inherently contradictory and embraces the subject matter's complexity and mystery. Notably, this work features a male musician. In Degas's later works he neglected to include males as a rejection of "sexual confrontation" and as a step towards painting "gender-specific subjects" [5]: 193
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See also
References
External links
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