Lot Essay
During Degas's lifetime, only four of his original prints were published. Although Degas exhibited some of his prints as "experiments" at the 1880 Impressionist exhibition, they were known primarily to the artists and collectors in his immediate circle until his death in November of 1918, when nearly four hundred were included in the studio sale of his work at Galerie Georges Petit.
The present work is a fully developed pastel over the fifth and final state of a very rare etching by Degas (Adhémar, no. 31) of the same title. It is slightly larger than the etching, which measures 6¼ x 8 7/8 in. (16 x 22.5 cm.), and depicts two actresses preparing for their performance in adjoining dressing rooms. Degas provides us with a private glimpse into the backstage of a theater, focusing upon the human forms and their reflections against the backdrop of the tightly composed dressing room. This is an intimate interior scene in the spirit of the artist's ballet studio and brothel images, which recreates the original composition of the etching while enhancing its spatial relationships with a rich, warm color scheme. The employment of bright pastel colors enables Degas to emphasize and soften the whites, grays and blacks of the etching, creating strong shadows and greater theatrical contrasts.
The pastel work extends slightly beyond the platemark and corrects the spatial ambiguities still found in the fifth state. Degas eliminated reference to the ceiling and clarified the central panel as an open door. The seated actress, brightly lit, is depicted on a larger scale and occupies a more rational space in the foreground. Her costume skirt hangs from the wall above and covers the corner of the room. Degas has made revisions to the view through the doorway, improving the perspective and increasing the sense of distance. The etched work of the standing figure in her dressing room is still clearly legible under a thin layer of pastel. The bright colors of the pastels heighten the sense of backstage drama that is merely implied in the black and white etchings. (Ibid., pp. 162-163)
The present work is a fully developed pastel over the fifth and final state of a very rare etching by Degas (Adhémar, no. 31) of the same title. It is slightly larger than the etching, which measures 6¼ x 8 7/8 in. (16 x 22.5 cm.), and depicts two actresses preparing for their performance in adjoining dressing rooms. Degas provides us with a private glimpse into the backstage of a theater, focusing upon the human forms and their reflections against the backdrop of the tightly composed dressing room. This is an intimate interior scene in the spirit of the artist's ballet studio and brothel images, which recreates the original composition of the etching while enhancing its spatial relationships with a rich, warm color scheme. The employment of bright pastel colors enables Degas to emphasize and soften the whites, grays and blacks of the etching, creating strong shadows and greater theatrical contrasts.
The pastel work extends slightly beyond the platemark and corrects the spatial ambiguities still found in the fifth state. Degas eliminated reference to the ceiling and clarified the central panel as an open door. The seated actress, brightly lit, is depicted on a larger scale and occupies a more rational space in the foreground. Her costume skirt hangs from the wall above and covers the corner of the room. Degas has made revisions to the view through the doorway, improving the perspective and increasing the sense of distance. The etched work of the standing figure in her dressing room is still clearly legible under a thin layer of pastel. The bright colors of the pastels heighten the sense of backstage drama that is merely implied in the black and white etchings. (Ibid., pp. 162-163)