The Dance Lesson by Edgar Degas


Edgar Degas, Four Studies of a Dancer (Quatre Etudes d’une danseuse), 1878-1879, charcoal corrected with white chalk on rose-beige wove paper, Cabinet des Dessins, Musée du Louvre, Paris		Edgar Degas, Three Studies of a Dancer in Fourth Position, c.1879/1880, charcoal and pastel with stumping, with touches of brush and black wash, on grayish-tan laid paper with blue fibers (discolored from pinkish-blue), laid down on gray wove paper, The Art Institute of Chicago, Bequest of Adele R. Levy, 1962.703, © 2000 The Art Institute of Chicago

Degas repeatedly sketched Marie van Goethem in preparation for making the sculpture. He drew her from every angle, circling around her to capture each look and gesture. Degas modeled a nude study in wax, experimenting with the dancer’s stance and posture, head and arm positions. Degas loved working with this malleable material, a dynamic medium that allowed him to experiment endlessly.