1880
chalk
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Three Dancers Resting is a 1880 chalk by Edgar Degas, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows three dancers in mid-motion, their bodies blurred and angled. One dancer’s leg is raised high, another stretches forward, and the third leans back. The colors are mostly brown and beige, with quick strokes of red, blue, and white for costumes and movement. The rough lines and smudged pastels make the scene feel fast and alive, like a snapshot of practice. Degas often drew dancers to show their energy and skill. Next, check out pastel to see how artists use soft, blendable sticks to create movement.
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.
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