Intricacies of a Ballerina

Was Edgar Degas more into the girls of or movement of his paintings? Dancers come in all shapes, sizes, and styles. They could be the boy off the block who is always down to go spinning upside down on a piece of cardboard or even the contortionist who dreams to be part of Cirque Du Soleil some day as he or she practices in a professional studio. A dancer progresses at his or her own rate and specializes in what they desire. When visiting the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park, a photo of a ballerina captured my attention. The Ballerina by Edgar Degas is a photo that is not a standout but stands as a hidden gem in a small room in the museum. The medium of this photo is oil on a canvas and was created in 1876, which, was around the beginning of the Impressionism works of art. This photo was made to introduce motion in art because what one may see can be perceived another way by another individual. As a dancer who is still learning, this photo had caught my attention in the sense that there is a lot of discipline involved in this style of dancing. Not only does this dance style take on the classical theme of music, this style of dance also take’s on a sense of contortionism in the sense that most dancer’s of this genre can walk on her tippy toes for hours at a time.

Edgar Degas has many photos of motion and many photos of ballerinas whether they were in unison or united in one photo. Therefore, Edgar Degas wanted to view ballet in a new spotlight, introduce the presence of more women in his paintings, and demonstrate the art of contortion. In this painting, The Ballerina, Edgar uses a variety of colors to portray a dancer. The attention grabber of this photo is the dancer herself who is positioned in the center of the canvas. The dancer appears in a baby blue tutu. The tutu is the type of dress that ballerina women wear for their respected performances. The author then goes on to use a shade of brown and green to display the different spaces in the photo. The shade of brown begins in the top to the right of the dancer then slowly translates to shades of green to also illustrate depth in terms of highlighting the dimensions of the room. The white wall displayed to the left of the dancer is to point out that the dancer could either be practicing on the live stage or in his or her respective studio. The black color was used to point out the traditional dress shoe for the performers during this time. Nowadays, most ballerinas’ wear a tan or brown show that includes a point on the end of the shoe. With the transitional colors that go from behind the dancer to under her, Edgar included the different colors to distinguish the space a dancer had in the respected setting being a studio school or a stage. With the tainted brown and green color on the ground, it is easy to point out how much space the performer has in order to perform. The dancer also has the two tone colored walls with the respected lines that run along the floor portion of the photo to indicate that she is not to close to the wall either as she goes into a complicated trick. Edgar demonstrates the distinguishable space in this photo as it is centered on The Ballerina. The light source may be something tricky in terms of locating it in this photo. As mentioned earlier, Edgar uses light colors to distinguish the source of the light to be coming from above. More of a realistic view in terms of light coming from above and being shined amongst the walls of the location this dancer is at. As a common feature to find in most dance studios, the lighting is crucial to most beginning performing artists in order to see who they maybe following or to see his or her own movement for themselves. Another feature of this photo is that a small glimpse of a shadow can be found along the lines on the dancers tutu. It is not a shadow that stands out however; it is more incorporated into the dancers specialized attire. As a result, Edgar does not have a natural light source however he uses the light colors to his advantage by simulating a light source coming from above. From the first impression of seeing this photo, it is easy to point out that Edgar makes use of many lines throughout this photo. Some straight lines could be found amongst the dancer’s tutu and amongst the walls that set the setting for the dancer.

Vertical lines are easily found amongst the dancers’ legs and pose while amongst the creases in his or her tutu. Horizontal lines are also found amongst the wall in terms of disputing the entire wall from the borders that run along the bottom of the walls. Diagonal lines are found amongst the pose the dancer holds in the photo whether it’s a point in her shoe on the far left or her arms being slightly held low at an angle. Wavy lines could be found amongst the bottom of her tutu given the pose that she is holding. Another distinguishable line is that Edgar went with a black line that outlines the dancer’s skin tone as it is seen along her respected outer limbs. One thing that seems odd is that Edgar did not include lines to distinguish a facial feature of this dancer. Line’s are not only important in stationary art whether it’s on a canvas or a wall but also in performing arts especially during a dance class or performance. From a linear perspective, this dancer is more asymmetrical then symmetrical. To break it down, observe her positioning. Edgar does not have her standing in the standard upright position where she could’ve been standing on her toes. Instead, Edgar paints this dancer in a position that is asymmetrical where her right leg is extended to the left side of the painting while her left foot is grounded on her toes. With her arms out wide, it is also seen that this dancer’s arms are not straight out like the wings of an airplane but have a slight bend as if she was going into a trick or technical move.

This position is not only common amongst ballerinas because figure skaters have also adopted this technique to include when they are balancing on thin blades of steel on ice. When my field trip occurred in this museum in Balboa, texture was one thing that was paramount. From my photo perspective, it would appear that the texture of this photo is more smooth then rigid. As much as it would look like a rough texture, this painting was completed on a canvas, which is one reason why this painting’s texture is smooth. Given the composure of the painting, Edgar made this photo allowing almost no drip marks through his masterpiece when painting with oils. The atmospheric perspective of this perspective of a dancer gives the impression that this dancer is either in a private practice on a stage or in a ballet class. Due to the lack of her peers or fellow classmates, it is obvious that she could be in either situation. It is more reasonable to believe that she could be in a private ballet class session in the sense of the setting having some faded colored walls behind her. If it was a stage, it could be obvious with a wood patterned floor or even a black covered ground as seen commonly used in many theaters or performing arts centers. Another portion of the atmospheric perspective is that it could also portray the loneliness of a ballet dancer in the sense that no peers are around her. With the prior knowledge that ballet commonly uses the organic sounds of parts of an orchestra, it could also be that the atmospheric perspective isn’t to emphasize a group in entirety but to emphasize the many dancer’s one by one. In other words, the atmospheric perspective does not emphasize the entire photo which could consist of an entire ballet class but instead, it emphasizes the small portions like the importance of the presences of one dancer. Ballet usually emphasizes on one persons ability to be equivalent to a group’s ability with the respect that each performer has a signature move they are known for doing or for their preference.

Motion is something key amongst dancers and even figure skaters. Whether it is a small motion that isolates one portion of the body or a full motion that involves the entire body, all motions are uniquely distinct when a person does it. In this photo, the dancer appears in a still point of view. However, as the viewer looks towards the floor and towards the feet of the dancer, it is perceived that the dancer is going into a circular motion with one leg being slightly bent and positioned in front of her. With the slight bend in her arms, the motion also displays that her arms are out for balancing support as she is shown spinning on one foot using her toes to get the smoothest rotation. The lack of a face can foreshadow that the motion being demonstrated was along the path of the rotation. Given that the dancer is not looking directly straight in this motion demonstrates the importance of how her head should fall into the same suit of the motion being completed. Even in figure skating techniques, motion of where you want to go or where you want to do must align with the proper body motions. By now, many of us have seen the optical illusion of the posed dancer either rotating left or rotating right. In this photo, it is easy to point out that the directional force could be going right. Without taking in the account that people should be seeing it from the proper anatomical view, it would appear that the dancer is really rotating to the left. With her left foot grounded and facing directly at a viewer, it gives a viewer more thought seeing that she has her right leg out and slightly bent. In terms of directional force, the viewer can possibly see that the dancer could be rotating in other directions.

In the figure skating realm, whether it is the entry to a camel spin or a sit-spin, the direction of choice can either be the backside or the front side when executing a trick. In ballet, the most common entry going into spins and turns would usually start from the front position but immediately swinging the entire body backwards with the leg desired is leading into the spin. One thing that is a rare sight for sore eyes nowadays is a chubby ballet dancer. In terms of mass and volume, most ballet dancers are seen to be healthy and light on their toes. In the canvas composed by Edgar Degas, The Ballerina is shown to have a fit physique to point out how most ballet dancers were perceived to be. While the dancer on her toes on one foot may seem heavy, Edgar makes it seem that she is as light as a flower as if she was walking on a glass floor. With the splitting of the two wall colors, the volume given off is equivalent to the corner of a room or a box. The dancer is also balanced on her toes which in reality if completed by the average person, the pose would possible give an unpleasant pain in the point of their entire foot. Therefore, Edgar Degas completely captures the intricacy of how a ballerina dancer represents a light mass in when constantly on their toes. Was Edgar Degas the best Impressionist artist of his time? In my opinion, his style and perspective was interesting in terms of his interest in how he perceived ballet dancers. Everybody has that defining moment in life. Whether it was Edgar Degas leaving a mark on the Impression period of time in art or a ballerina mastering the hardest move and making it their specialty move. Edgar Degas was the best impressionist artist of his time because he saw ballet in a different spotlight, he included more women throughout his works of art, and he was really interested in the motion of how the body can work. Art in terms of it being culinary arts, performing arts, theater arts or athletic arts can be seen as a joke to many people in the sense that they may not take people seriously if somebody said, “I am a professional figure skating dancer,” (Afanaseva). From famous dancers like Fik-Shun and Dytto, the practice to become better dancers is something that is never ending for them.

Edgar Degas was a man who contributed so much art works from a ballerina’s perspective. Edgar Degas saw more than just a ballet performer. “Edgar Degas saw these performers as people with a real professional jobs through the emphasis demonstrated in his works of art,” ("Edgar Degas - The Complete Works - Biography - Edgar-Degas.Org"). In the Impressionist Era, Degas never saw something that we take for granted in our performing arts today. Even though it is hard to be like modern day professional ballet dancer Brittany Cavaco, dancers of all genres are out there still trying to make their mark in today’s realm of dancers. Therefore, Edgar Degas never took ballet dancers granted for their dancers and actually emphasized them through the many painted depictions he made like in this case, The Ballerina. The Ballerina was a stepping-stone in terms of bringing back women into the spotlight of art. In this photo, the presence of one woman represents the strength in the beauty of the line of work. “Edgar Degas has another photo entitled The Rehearsal. In this photo, it is clear that the main theme mentioned is the presence of women throughout his many canvases. Given this is another example of the topic at hand, it also highlights how women were more of an emphasis in his line of art masterpieces,” (Gardner and Kleiner 362). “Edgar Degas has many painting emphasis on the topic of ballerinas in terms of different perspectives or the presence of more than one woman,” (Gardner and Kleiner 361). Therefore, Edgar had been through many topics in the forms of art composed by him whether it was his appeal of women or ballerina demonstrations. Ballet dancers are basically the original master contortionists.

Starting from a young age and bending and flexing their body parts ways it shouldn’t be flexed is something that makes them truly remarkable. Being double jointed is another advantage when a person decides to dance because they could play their hidden talents to their advantage. Edgar Degas was a fan of movement. “Through his ballerina portraits, he was able to address the many ways the body could move and contort their bodies in unexpected vantage points,” (Schenkel). It is nothing but the pure movement that is captured in The Ballerina canvas. Reiterating that she is going into a spin on one foot while keeping balance on her toes at the same time with the motions of her arms and legs being bent in an open stance is what gives her a clean recipe for a rotation. “The dancer’s face is one thing to look at but another feature to point out is the swish of her tutu that also follows the sweeping of her leg at the same time,” ("San Diego Museum Of Art - The Ballerina"). When stumbling upon this masterpiece, I enjoyed seeing the pure expression of the dancer as she is in her element. Therefore, Edgar Degas included motion that made him one of the greatest artists of the Impressionism era. As mentioned in most of the sources used, it is clear that Edgar Degas took interest in movement. Even though it was seen through history that postures was emphasized, the difference in Edgar’s painted photos was that it was not a pose of victory. As Edgar Degas once said, “People always assumed that I enjoyed pretty girls dancing. It had never occurred to them that his interest truly lied in the movement of these fine dancers and their pretty clothing,” ("San Diego Museum Of Art - The Ballerina"). To reiterate this statement provided by Edgar Degas, again his honest interest took place in the movement of the human body through various ballet dancers.

Overall, Edgar Degas was truly interested in how the body could move in the many forms and possibilities that existed at the time. Finally, Edgar Degas was the best Impressionist artist under the circumstances that he wanted to bring spotlight to performing theater artists, introduce many women over his courses of masterpieces, and finally the art of body contortion was his true passion in terms of paintings that he desired to complete. Ballet performances could get a little stale like a figure skater in a competition just going around the rink with no formal routine. In all honesty, a Ballet recital or performance is something interesting when the curiousness is equivalent to Edgar Degas’s outlook on performing artists and body movement.