Two Ballerinas in a Bow by Degas

Capturing the fleeting and laborious grace of the Paris Opera backstage, this masterly work by Degas Edgar, associated with the Impressionist movement, stands under the title of “Two Ballerinas in a Bow” among his famous pastels. The artist temporarily abandons the stage spotlights to become the attentive observer of the ballerinas’ physical routine. This composition perfectly illustrates his constant research into natural poses and the immediacy of human attitudes.

In the foreground, two ballerinas dressed in vibrant golden yellow tutus and orange bodices bend forward in working attitudes. On the left of the composition, a dancer with auburn hair adorned with a red ribbon stretches her right arm to the floor to adjust her pointe. To her left, her companion with dark hair also bends her bust, her right arm stretched down near her feet. Their vaporous and luminous skirts create a mass of vibrant color that dominates the bottom of the work. In the background, several blurry silhouettes of ballerinas in white tutus stand out in a soft misty darkness.

This work demonstrates the artist’s exceptional craftsmanship in the treatment of pastel on cardboard. The painter deploys dense and superimposed hatching to sculpt the musculature of the bodies and give a vibrant texture to the light tulles, thus converting the truth of the effort with a truly remarkable technical virtuosity.