Lot Essay
This subject of this drawing has usually been related to a dancer that appears in the upper right corner of L'Arlequin, circa 1890 (Lemoisne, vol. III, no. 1032bis; coll. Manigot, Paris). The dancer in the painting is actually more animated, while the drawing depicts a pose in which the head and limbs of the figure are carefully counterbalanced along two vertical axes, the first aligning the dancer's spine and left leg, and the second following the line of her right arm and leg. This drawing is more likely related to dancers who assume similar poses in the background of Danseuses montant un escalier, 1886-1890, (Lemoisne, vol. III, no. 894; coll. Musée du Louvre, Camondo Bequest, Paris) and Danseuses au foyer, 1887 (Lemoisne, vol. III, no. 905; coll. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Havemeyer Bequest, New York).
As in many of his figure studies, Degas takes great pains to capture an exact gesture, leaving clear and sometimes heavy traces of earlier pentimenti. These contribute to the subtle effect of a body in motion, as if caught by a camera's eye, and lend a striking presence to the figure on the flat surface of the sheet.
As in many of his figure studies, Degas takes great pains to capture an exact gesture, leaving clear and sometimes heavy traces of earlier pentimenti. These contribute to the subtle effect of a body in motion, as if caught by a camera's eye, and lend a striking presence to the figure on the flat surface of the sheet.