In the world of art, different movements have developed that present marked styles, techniques and themes. In addition to this, each of the artists had something that identified them and gave them their personal touch. Thus, Rembrandt is identified by the multiple self-portraits of him; Botero, he stands out for his fat figures and we all remember Edgar Degas for his obsession with painting ballerinas. It is said that almost half of all his artistic work was dedicated exclusively to this theme. If you want to know more about this fascination of the artist, stay with us in this new article from Supercurioso.
The dark story behind Degas’ ballerinas
Although Degas did not exclusively paint ballerinas, it is considered that he did more than 1500 works dedicated to them, between paintings, drawings and sculptures. Whether they were stretching, rehearsing or presenting, Degas painted his dancers in every possible way, and although these images can be presented as very delicate and beautiful, behind this series of paintings there is a dark story that very few know.
Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that Degas did not paint to make money, so many paintings and works were out of pure obsession. If you want to find out, be sure to read.
1. Who was Edgar Degas?
in 1834 Hilaire-Germain-Edgar de Gas, better known as Degas, was born in the city of Paris. From a very young age, Degas showed a true passion for art, and as he grew up he became a famous painter, sculptor, and photographer.
Grew up in a wealthy familyso he really did not go through hardships during his childhood, except for the pain that was losing his mother at 13 years old. When his mother died, Degas only had the influence of his father and his grandfather, which is why in his life a feminine image would be needed.
As his family was well-to-do, Degas was able to enjoy a good education and many luxuries of that time, such as going to the theater to see the ballet, this is where Degas’s obsession with ballerinas began.
Degas lived a quiet life, but progressively he was losing his vision. From that moment it was Degas focused more on sculpture, but again, the protagonists of these works were the dancers. Finally, in 1917, Degas died almost completely blind and from an aneurysm.
He stood out in various movements of his time until he became considered one of the founders of impressionism (although he himself denied belonging to this movement)
In addition to the dancers, Degas used to draw horse races and nudes, something that helped him forge his identity as an artist, because in all his works you could see a realism that managed to convey different sensations and emotions.
His work had a mixed reputation, some admired him, but others despised his art. In part, this may be because it was said that Degas had a very bad character, various people pointed to him as a miser, loner, anti-Semite and extremely conservative.
Despite this, today, Degas is one of the most valued artists in the art market and his works can be seen in the best museums in the world.
2. The profession behind the painting
Today we can say that ballet is seen as a very beautiful and refined profession, which requires great skill and delicacy, but in the 19th century this was not what was perceived. A somewhat disturbing fact is that during that time the Opera House was filled not by lovers of dance, but by wealthy, middle-aged men who enjoyed watching the nudity and the hypnotic movements of the dancers.
Likewise, the dancers used to be girls and young women who sought to escape poverty by achieving fame or the attention of a wealthy man. In this way it was the ballet in Paris was something very close to prostitution.
After introducing themselves, the dancers would meet in their foyer, where they could interact directly with the audience. For this reason, Degas’s obsession with ballerinas raises big questions about his view of women.
At this point we want to clarify that this does not mean that all the dancers of that time prostituted themselves, but this was a secret practice that was hidden behind the scenes.
3. The Dancers by Degas
Although Degas’s obsession with The dancers began when he was very young, they did not appear in his work until 1870. In fact, it is said that the artist asked permission to be at rehearsals and auditions, on the pretext that he wanted to paint the dancers. However, one of Degas’s curiosities tells us that during these sessions the dancers did not pose as models, Degas only took notes and then made the paintings.
This theme in Degas’ paintings showed a very important aspect of modern Parisian life, but His technique also reflected the innovation that this artist made in the world of art, since he painted the dancers from all possible angles and from different points of view of the theater.
Besides this, it is amazing to think how Degas’s fixation would last until the end of his life, even with his atrophied vision. When he could no longer see what he was drawing, Degas molded ballerinastheir appearance was still very impressive, so it is hard to imagine how well Degas knew the ballerinas to make them only with his hands.
This act of Degas and all the weight that was hidden in the profession of the dancers caused him to be labeled as a misogynist. If this man’s personality had already cost him his good relations, his obsession with ballerinas made his reputation a great topic of conversation.
He was never known to have a wife or sexual partner, so it was believed that this was the origin of his unhealthy obsession with dancers and that he was also incapable of loving women, no matter how much you like them. But these works, more than admiration for femininity, were a crude and cold representation of an object that served to satisfy her basic needs.
In the end, the most surprising thing about Degas’ ballerinas is how the profession and position of women has changed throughout history. Today ballet is seen as elegant and classy, and women are becoming more empowered.
Proof of this are the new movements such as Me Too, which has gone around the world to claim the place of women in a macho society. Finally, tell us in the comments what you think about these works and if you knew about the secret of the dancers. Thanks for reading us!