La classe di danza di Edgar Degas

The painting "Dance Class " the famous oil on canvas by Edgar Degas is housed at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris This is not the only name of the painting known as Dance Class as well Even with the titles "Dance Lessons" or "Ballroom Lessons " It is one of the first major paintings from the ballerina series and already contains all themes of Degas's artistic maturity From the early 1870s until the artist's death The ballerinas depicted at the barre in rehearsals or at rest become Degas's favorite subject Painted with an incredible number of variations in gestures and postures in many of his paintings More than by the sacred fire of art by the lights of the spotlight his interest is captured by the long preparatory work It is the foundation of every representation from the painful and forced poses of the bodies to their unstable balances o the variety of gestures and movements of the dancers In this painting Degas depicts the end of a lesson The students completely exhausted are resting Some stretch others bend to scratch their back or adjust their hairstyle e ball gown an earring a ribbon paying little attention to the strict teacher who in this setting takes the form of the elderly Jules Perrault a true dance master who sets the tempo by tapping his cane on the ground Great attention is paid to the various camouflage codes of the girls That one with the yellow bow sitting on the piano is scratching her bac We cannot help but notice his expression of annoyance That one with a red bow in her hair is fanning herself with a fan There's one that fits the earring e one who fixes her hairstyle e one who laughs and the one who talks with her friend like in a classroom When the atmosphere becomes more relaxed towards the end of the lesson It is observed in the representation obviously static an intense conceptual dynamism due to the use of opposing dynamics contradiction and complementarity between the characters on stage The concepts of teaching and learning are contrasted respectively embodied by the teacher motionless and diligent in his work From the student in motion who is diligently practicing in front of him to learn These two concepts They join the opposing dynamics of the other slight which one hand express the condition of not teaching seated to observe But not to teach the companions but because they have no desire to practice They express the condition of not learning the steps because even though they are moving they are distracted by other matters These conceptual oppositions however give rise to complementarities between the figures of the master who is firm and teaches As someone who knows the dance and its steps he can afford to not constantly practice and that of the students in motion But they don't learn because they are distracted There are then powerful contrasts between the figures of the teacher firm and absorbed in teaching and finally between the diligent and focused ballerina in her dance exercises And her companions who move but do not dance or practice For which we have No character is forced Capturing these real aspects of daily life and the mutual relationships that exist Yes it is a precise choice by the artist As he used to say it's like the subjects are being watched through the keyhole As usual Degas chooses a slightly off-center angle to frame the scene And the strong shadow is intensified by the diagonal lines of the parquet flooring For this purpose Paul Valéry wrote "Degas is one of the few painters" They have recognized the importance that it deserves Some floors he depicted They play a major role in the composition Whether it's the perspective drawing of the floor or the neutral tone of the parquet and walls On which the dancers' costumes stand out most contribute to giving the whole a sense of quiet realism Degas recreates the atmosphere of the room with grace and refinement Inserting his daughters into a soft and pale light which comes partly from the right Where we imagine there is a large window and partly from the back of the other window in the adjacent room The gentle illumination further enhances the movements illuminating the very white skin of the students The tus and the evanescence of the satin fabrics The color transitions from the white of the costumes to the pink of the skin are rendered with extreme delicacy The color spread with broad areas and synthetic brushstrokes does not describe but evokes materials and volume Another interesting detail of this painting It turns out to be the feeling of extension beyond the edges of the canvas This effect suggests the transience of the moment captured by the painter and the author's desire to transcend academic and static painting Some are outside as represented by the girl With the right leg turned outward The dance class is such an authentic painting that it seems to move and come to life It is not a work made of outlines But a work that extends beyond the canvas including even the observer who as if by magic She feels part of that dance lesson that took place more than a century ago