Dancer Putting on Her Shoe

"Dancer Putting on Her Shoe" is a striking print by Edgar Degas French, 1834-1917, created during the decade 1883-1893. This piece exemplifies the artist's persistent fascination with the hidden labor and private lives of Parisian Opéra dancers. Rendered as an etching on ivory wove paper, the classification as a print highlights Degas’s extensive experimentation beyond oil painting and pastel, particularly his complex relationship with the reproductive and expressive possibilities of intaglio techniques.

The selection of etching allowed Degas to capture the delicate, spontaneous movement and the intense focus of the dancer preparing for performance. Unlike his oil works, this medium emphasizes line and contrast, conveying the texture of the studio setting and the fragile tension in the figure’s pose. The figure is captured mid-action, a fleeting moment of vulnerability and concentration typical of the unguarded scenes the artist preferred. Throughout his career in France, Degas continually explored these unposed, backstage moments, contrasting the rigorous classical training of the ballet with the mundane reality of dressing and practice.

This particular impression, dating from a period of intense creative output by Degas, resides in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The detailed technique and intimate subject matter confirm the artist's stature as a revolutionary observer of modern life. As a significant example of 19th-century French prints, images of this work are frequently shared, often available in the public domain for study and appreciation.