Study of a Ballet Dancer (recto); Two Studies of Dancers (verso)

Study of a Ballet Dancer (recto); Two Studies of Dancers (verso) by Edgar Degas, created in 1873, exemplifies the artist’s relentless, investigative approach to capturing motion. Classified as a drawing despite its complexity, the work is notable for its innovative combination of materials. The recto features oil paint combined with opaque watercolor applied to prepared pink paper, while the verso utilizes oil alone on the same colored support. This sophisticated technique allowed Degas to rapidly register visual information, resulting in vibrant sketches crucial to his sustained observations of the world of Ballet.

Degas became famous for his intense focus on the lives of working women, particularly the young Dancers of the Paris Opéra. Unlike finished studio compositions, this piece functions as a direct étude, documenting the fleeting, unposed moments of rehearsal and preparation. The recto presents a single figure captured in motion, demonstrating Degas’s unparalleled ability to render complex postures with economic yet forceful strokes. The existence of multiple, tentative studies on the verso further emphasizes the exploratory nature of this piece, confirming the artist’s commitment to understanding the mechanics and grace inherent in professional training.

The rapid execution visible throughout this work underscores its purpose: preparation for the larger, definitive paintings on canvas that solidified the artist’s legacy. Degas consistently utilized studies like Study of a Ballet Dancer (recto) to refine gesture, composition, and the effects of artificial light. As a significant document of 19th-century French art and the modern woman, this crucial piece is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, ensuring its availability for scholars.