In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago — check current display status with the museum.
FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG
Edgar Degas first painted dancers as an independent subject in 1871. He was to devote almost half his output as an artist to this subject, observing countless performances and rehearsals at the Paris Opéra. Here he placed the viewer in the wings, as if among the elite Opéra subscribers who roamed and socialized backstage. Dance subjects allowed Degas to contemporize his lifelong interest in showing the human body in complex movement, shifting the scene from ancient history to modern Paris. He finished and signed the present canvas in time for the second Impressionist exhibition, in April 1876.
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Edgar Degas — Yellow Dancers (In the Wings)
Edgar Degas — Four Ballerinas on Stage
Edgar Degas — The Dance Class
Edgar Degas — Dancers, Pink and Green
Edgar Degas — Four Dancers
Edgar Degas — Dancers in Pink
Edgar Degas — Ballet Rehearsal
Edgar Degas — The Dance Class
Edgar Degas — Rehearsal Before the Ballet
Edgar Degas — The Rehearsal of the Ballet Onstage
Edgar Degas — Dancers Backstage
Edgar Degas — Three Dancers Preparing for Class