DAY 75

A PICTURE’S WORTH 1000 200 WORDS

End of an Arabesque

EDGAR DEGAS, 1877

What is an arabesque? The word can describe several things in reference to art, but in this case it describes a particularly challenging ballet position that involves balancing on one foot, with the other leg high in the air and arms outstretched. Edgar Degas’s painting captures this move, and although the details of the performance are left to the viewer’s imagination, we know the audience deemed it worthy of a bouquet of flowers.

The dynamic composition of this piece is evidence of Degas’s interest in photography. The ballerina is a bit cut off on the right side, and the viewer sees her from an unconventional vantage point—both of which contribute to a “snapshot” quality. It is as though we’re lurking at sidestage and sneaking a quick glance at the harshly lit stage performer.

When in his mid-thirties, Degas became interested in painting a variety of scenes from everyday life. This was not, in fact, a wise decision for a painter of his time; audiences and critics expected to see art that was inspired by loftier sources such as literature and history. Nonetheless, Degas cast caution and his reputation to the wind, painting workers, racehorses, and Parisian café life. But he is perhaps best remembered for his lovely ballerinas, through whom he captured the grace and beauty of both the dance and the dancer. —DDG