The Ballet Class

Edgar Degas

The Ballet Class

oil on canvas

c. 1879-1880

Although Degas was considered an impressionist his style and approach was different than most. While most impressionists were influenced by the new way of seeing things, Degas was influenced and composed from Japanese prints and photos that were free formed or unposed. Unlike others Degas didn't always place his subjects with the "central" zone. He often placed his figures close to the edge and off the canvas. In THE BALLET CLASS, Degas doesn't follow conventional symmetry, instead he uses an asymmetrical pattern with diagonal lines throughout the picture plane similar to the lines in Japanese prints. He has placed two groups of dancers in opposite corners while leaving the entire center of the painting empty creating a diagonal line similar to the Japanese artwork of Kitagawa Utamaro, Women under Wisteria.

The female sitting in the chair in the foreground is the focal point, moving to the right just behind her is a group of dancers that also create a diagonal line with the leg of one dancer pointing to the corner off the canvas. As your eye continues up and around to the left to the cluster of dancers in front of the mirror as the man, that we assume is the instructor, is watching them across that diagonal empty space. Degas has created balance and contrast with the larger group on the right and the smaller group on the right and the implied diagonal space mirrors the actual angle of the newspaper the lady in front is holding. The baseboard across the back wall is keeping the flow of the work around the room and in symmetry with the implied line of the gaze of the "instructor".

Most of the colors that Degas uses are muted, light and very soft with the exception of the bright yellow ribbon on the waist of the dancer of the in the top right and the back wall of the studio, The only dark colors are the dark dress on the lady in the foreground and the clothing on the instructor . The soft, pale skin of the dancers along with the extreme contrast of the dark colors are all similar of the colors used in Utamaro's Women under the Wisteria. Degas uses both loose brush stroke and more controlled strokes in The Ballet Class which show his tendencies of the impressionists style unlike the precise sharp lines of the Japanese. Most of Degas works were very carefully staged which almost seems like a photographic snapshot. This style almost makes you feel as though you are there in the studio with these dancers.