Singers on the Stage

Singers on the Stage, created by Edgar Degas French, 1834-1917 between 1877 and 1879, is a remarkable example of the artist’s experimental approach to medium and technique. Classified as a drawing, the work utilizes a demanding combination of pastel over a monotype base on ivory wove paper, which was subsequently laid down on board. This sophisticated process allowed Degas to combine the blurred, atmospheric qualities characteristic of prints with the brilliant, vibrant color achieved solely through the application of pastel.

Degas was renowned for capturing the unscripted, often asymmetric moments of modern life in 19th-century France. Unlike many of his contemporaries, who often focused on traditional landscapes, he centered his observations on the enclosed worlds of urban performance spaces, particularly music halls, opera stages, and the private lives of performers. In this piece, Degas captures singers bathed in artificial stage light, perhaps during a fleeting moment mid-performance or while waiting in the wings. His characteristic high cropping and dramatic perspectives emphasize the immediacy and transient nature of the scene, pulling the viewer into the active space just beyond the footlights. The rapid, gestural quality inherent in using pastel over the textured monotype surface further highlights the energy of the stage world.

This intimate study is an important document of the Impressionist master’s commitment to capturing movement and light through unconventional means. Today, the work remains an essential example of the development of French modernism and is proudly held in the distinguished collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. As one of Degas's masterworks from the late 1870s, high-quality images and prints of this drawing are often available for study, frequently residing in the public domain due to the age of the original artwork.