Dancers in Ukrainian Dress

Dancers in Ukrainian Dress is a dynamic late-career work by Edgar Degas, executed around 1899. Classified as a drawing, this piece demonstrates the artist’s sustained commitment to capturing the essence of movement and performance, a subject typically associated with his earlier Parisian ballet scenes. The complexity of the medium is noteworthy: Degas employed charcoal and vibrant pastel on tracing paper, which was subsequently mounted onto cardboard for stability. This technical approach allowed him to rapidly capture and refine the figures while achieving intense color saturation, emphasizing his mastery of graphic arts.

The drawing depicts women actively engaged in traditional dancing, their poses suggesting energetic steps and whirls. Degas utilizes bold, decisive charcoal lines to define the structure and immediate movement of the dancers, overlaid with richly colored pastels that delineate the intricate details of the traditional Ukrainian dress. The brilliance of the folk costume, characterized by vivid reds, blues, and yellows, provides a striking contrast to the preparatory charcoal underdrawing. This shift toward subjects in ethnic or traditional costume reflects Degas’s broadening interest in observed movement beyond the formal constraints of the Parisian stage.

Degas continually explored how women performers occupy and control space, perfecting his ability to render the transient moments of public display. This powerful rendering, showcasing the interplay between the dancers and their culturally specific attire, stands as a testament to his expertise in draftsmanship during his final years. The work is housed in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As a widely recognized drawing by a major figure of French Impressionism, high-quality images and prints of this late Degas piece are often accessible through public domain art collections.