Art History

   The Impressionist era began in the 19th century in Paris with a group of independent artists in Paris. The fame of the movement quickly spread through their self-held exhibitions, despite opposition by the mainstream art community. Impressionist painting consists of small yet visible brush strokes that emphasize the changing qualities of light. It obtained its name from one of the work’s of Claude Monet, famous for his series of paintings that depicted changes in weather and light over time. Besides Monet, other well-known Impressionist artists include Edgar Degas. This short essay will focus on  analyzing The Dance Lesson by Degas.

   Edgar Degas was a French artist born in 1834 and known as one of the more prominent users of the Impressionist style. He is most well-known for his depictions of ballerinas. He maintained a sort of fascination with the, throughout his artistic career and over half of his works depict dancers. Surprisingly, Degas did not like to be identified with the Impressionist style and disliked the controversy surrounding the creation of the Impressionist School. He disliked the idea of spontaneity and color fleck that came with Impressionism and despised the impressionistic practice of painting en plein air. Yet his experimentation with color, form, and the movement of dancers most closely identifies with Impressionist art. This style can be clearly seen in The Dance Lesson, which also draws inspiration from Japanese prints.

   The Dance Lesson is an oil on panel painting that holds true to Degas’ name in its depiction of ballerinas as subjects. It is the first of a series of forty pictures that Degas painted in a similar format. The painting shows dancers on break, resting with others practicing in the foreground and is similar to many of Degas’ other works in that it shows the dancers at rest rather than in performance. The painting makes careful use of light with the background dancers illuminated by a large window and also of color, with certain splashes of vibrancy that draw the viewer’s eye to specific areas. For instance, the exhausted girl in the lower left corner wears bright orange, the girl in the center wears pink, and two of the dancers in the group of practicing girls wear orange and yellow. The off-center placement of figures and the cutting off at unexpected places shows the influence of Japanese prints on the work.

   In summary, Degas was an Impressionist painter, although he did not think of himself as one. Impressionist painting focuses on changing light over time with the use of bright colors and multiple series of paintings. Despite his words, Degas also worked in series and experimented with color and perhaps not changing light but at least changing movement over time. The Dance Lesson is one painting that show this idea. It is part of a series of 40 works by Degas that while not originally intended to go together nevertheless fit quite well. The painting shows Degas’ experimentation with color and figure, as well as his influence by Japanese prints.