Artwork
Before the Ballet
Before the Ballet is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Edgar Degas. It dates from 1891 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower left: Degas
About this work
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, measuring 88.
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, measuring 88.9 centimeters in width and 40 centimeters in height. It depicts a dancer positioned backstage, poised before entering the ballet studio, capturing the fleeting moment of preparation with loose brushwork and careful attention to anatomical nuance. The handling of light and color reflects Degas' interest in transient movement and theatrical space, aligning with his broader exploration of performance and gesture.
History & Provenance
Edgar Degas’s Before the Ballet is dated to 1890 based on its inscription and stylistic analysis.
The work entered the dealer’s stock in Paris, where it was held by Paul Durand-Ruel before being sold in 1913 to Peter A.B. Widener of Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. After Widener’s death, it passed by gift through the power of appointment of his heir Joseph E. Widener and was bequeathed to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. in 1942.
Before the Ballet is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The work entered the museum's holdings in 1942 as a gift from Joseph E. Widener, acting through the power of appointment granted by the estate of his father, Peter A.B. Widener. Prior to this acquisition, the painting was part of Peter A.B. Widener's collection at Lynnewood Hall in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, having been purchased in 1913 from the Parisian dealer Paul Durand-Ruel.
No specific exhibition history or inventory accession numbers for the work are provided in the available records.
Overview
Created in 1891, Before the Ballet is an oil painting on canvas by French artist Edgar Degas. Executed during the later phase of his career, the work belongs to a series of ballet studies that Degas pursued, reflecting his ongoing fascination with the rehearsal environment and the bodies of young dancers.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents a modest studio where several adolescent ballerinas, clad in white tutus, arrange themselves in varied stances, some seated, others leaning against a wall, and one extending a leg in a poised gesture. The quiet, preparatory atmosphere suggests a moment of private concentration before the public spectacle of performance.
Artist & collection
Artist
Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas on 19 July 1834 in Paris, Edgar Degas came from an affluent banking family with aristocratic roots and spent his childhood among the cultivated circles of the French capital.
