National Gallery of Art: Art for the Nation Edgar Degas' signature  
A Dance PortfolioThe Little Fourteen-Year-Old DancerThe Dancing LifeThe Painting Edgar Degas' signature Previous page Next page
The Dance Lesson Edgar Degas  
       
Edgar Degas, The Dance Lesson, c. 1879

Edgar Degas, The Dance Lesson, c. 1879, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon 1995.47.6

 

The Dance Lesson detail   The Dance Lesson detail   The Dance Lesson detail   The Dance Lesson detail
Colorful accents in this otherwise tonal work help lead the viewer through the painting. Starting with the orange shawl and pink stockings of the dancer on the far left, Degas touched the center dancers with pink and blue, and finished with the bright yellow fan and red and coral bows on the right. These touches of sparkling color give the work a delicate luminosity.


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