Dancers, Edgar Degas
Degas depicted the ballet in more than 1,000 paintings, prints, pastels, and sculptures. He preferred private, offstage moments to glamorous curtain calls or artfully constructed compositions. Here, three dancers stretch together in the wings, unaware of the viewer’s presence. Powdery layers of yellow, orange, and pink pastel create a rough surface characteristic of Degas’s late work in the medium. He invented special techniques that allowed him to build layer upon layer of color with varying degrees of opacity and transparency. This pastel’s rich surface and intense, vibrating palette is the result of such innovative methods.
                                
Discover more Old Masters in the following collections:
 
                         The endangered swan, Jan Asselijn
The endangered swan, Jan Asselijn The mill at Wijk bij Duurstede, Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael
The mill at Wijk bij Duurstede, Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael Queen Elizabeth of Bourbon
Queen Elizabeth of Bourbon Flower arrangement, Jan Davidsz. de Heem
Flower arrangement, Jan Davidsz. de Heem A Amsterdam street scene - Adrianus Eversen
A Amsterdam street scene - Adrianus Eversen The goldfinch, Carel Fabritius
The goldfinch, Carel Fabritius Vincent van Gogh. Flower beds in Holland
Vincent van Gogh. Flower beds in Holland Jacob Maris - Fishing boat
Jacob Maris - Fishing boat The School of Athens, Raphael
The School of Athens, Raphael Almond blossom painting by Vincent van Gogh
Almond blossom painting by Vincent van Gogh The Mirror, Robert Reid
The Mirror, Robert Reid Portrait of a woman, anonymous - 1633
Portrait of a woman, anonymous - 1633 The Milkmaid - Vermeer painting
The Milkmaid - Vermeer painting Agapanthus, Claude Monet
Agapanthus, Claude Monet Vincent van Gogh. Olive orchard
Vincent van Gogh. Olive orchard Cypresses
Cypresses The Artist’s Garden in Giverny, Claude Monet
The Artist’s Garden in Giverny, Claude Monet The great wave of Kanagawa, Hokusai
The great wave of Kanagawa, Hokusai Italian landscape with pine trees, Hendrik Voogd
Italian landscape with pine trees, Hendrik Voogd Bouquet of flowers on white background (seen at VT Wonen)
Bouquet of flowers on white background (seen at VT Wonen)