The Ballet from "Robert le Diable"

The Ballet from 'Robert le Diable' was executed by Edgar Degas in 1871, the first of two canvases he devoted to the subject, the second dating to 1876. Measuring 66 × 54.3 cm, the oil on canvas depicts the "ballet of the nuns" from Meyerbeer's opera Robert le Diable, a scene Degas observed from the orchestra pit. The work was owned by the singer and collector Jean-Baptiste Faure before passing into the collection of Louisine Havemeyer, whose 1929 bequest brought it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view.

The Ballet from 'Robert le Diable' (1871) is an oil on canvas measuring 66 × 54.3 cm, painted by Edgar Degas and classified as a painting. It depicts a ballet scene from Giacomo Meyerbeer's opera, set in the stage design of Pierre-Luc-Charles Cicéri, and is the first of a pair of works on the same theme, the second dating to 1876. The work entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it remains on view.

Its creation reflects Degas's early interest in theatrical performance and situates the piece within his broader exploration of ballet and opera subjects that defined much of his career.

Edgar Degas's The Ballet from 'Robert le Diable' (1871) depicts a scene from the third act of Giacomo Meyerbeer's opera, featuring the ghosts of nuns rising from their graves. The composition is viewed from a high, oblique angle, looking down onto the stage where a group of dancers in white tutus are captured in a moment of suspended animation with arms raised. Degas employs a stark contrast between the illuminated figures and the deep, shadowy background, emphasizing the theatrical lighting.

In the foreground, the heads of audience members, including a man in profile, intrude into the frame, grounding the scene in the reality of the Paris Opera house. Executed shortly after the artist's return from the Franco-Prussian War, this work marks a pivotal moment in Degas's career, signaling his shift toward modern subjects and his innovative approach to perspective and movement. The painting demonstrates his interest in capturing the mechanics of dance and the artificiality of the stage, moving away from idealized historical narratives toward the observation of contemporary life.

The thick, visible brushstrokes and the cropped composition reflect the influence of photography and Japanese prints, establishing a visual language that would define his subsequent ballet series.