Edgar Degas’ The Dance Class
From a slightly raised viewpoint, The Dance Class draws you into a training session with the dance master Jules Perrot in a rehearsal room which had burnt down a year before the painting was made. He is standing firmly with a stick in hand watching a dancer intently. The composition is almost a snapshot into that moment as opposed to a traditional composition with each figure placed in an idealistic way.
In varied unguarded relatable poses, some ballerinas wait their turn while others simply watch on. Some sit, one stands akimbo while another leans against the wall. The dancer closest to the viewer with the red hair accessory seems to adjust her outfit, with a look of exhaustion as does the one behind her. Another to the left of the painting has her back turned towards the ongoing session seemingly engrossed in something else. Biting her nails, another seems rather anxious about her turn. Mothers of some of the dancers can also be seen in the background.
The artist, Edgar Degas, was influenced by Japanese prints evidenced by the asymmetry and unusual angle of the composition. He incorporates perspective with the diminishing sizes and details of the figures as you move from the foreground to the background. The frame of the painting is also cut abruptly giving it an up-close view.
All these leave a sense of wonder about the narrative and this was partly Degas’ aim:
“A painting requires a little mystery, some vagueness, and some fantasy. When you always make your meaning perfectly plain you end up boring people”.
Because his father wanted him to become a lawyer, Degas enrolled in a law school but dropped out eventually to pursue his interest in art. His father was still supportive of his craft, writing to him on one occasion:
‘You have taken a giant step forwards in your art, your drawing is strong, your colour tone is precise. You no longer have anything to worry about, my dear Edgar, you are progressing beautifully. Calm your mind and with tranquil and sustained effort stick to the furrow that lies before you without straying. It’s your own-it is no one else’s. Go on working calmly and keep to this path.’
Since his family was moderately wealthy, Degas had the privilege of painting for pleasure rather than as a source of livelihood.
After Degas’ father died, however, the artist was put in a very unusual position. His brother had incurred a lot of debt and so Degas sold his house and a personal art collection leaving him with nothing to rely on. Like many artists of his time, Degas now had to live off his art. This was particularly difficult because his paintings were not of the conventional subjects but of themes he found interest in.
He joined a group of artists who would later be known as the Impressionists to form the Society of Independent Artists. Now art galleries are in abundance but at that time, there were very few of them with one official annual exhibition called the Salon. The Salon was the only way for an artist to showcase his/her work. The works exhibited were selected by a jury and this jury had rejected the works of most of the Impressionists. They decided to rent a studio and have their own exhibition.
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