In the world of art and sculpture, Edgar Degas’ The Little Dancer’s meaning is decidedly undecided. When the sculpture was first presented to the world in 1881, people reacted strongly in both good and bad ways because of just how different this sculpture was. The figure is rigid – in what looks like a stretch – and the face isn’t posed but natural and what some would call ugly. I found the sculpture to be profoundly refreshing due to the detail in every part of it, the unique authenticity, and the attention Degas paid to the ballet world and what he got out of it. In this sculpture, you can tell Degas worked extremely hard to get every little detail perfect. What caught my attention especially was the detail in the little folds in the tights
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He seemed to be obsessed with the movement of the dancers and how they shaped their bodies. Many see these drawings and paintings to be after the sculpture’s making, but a museum curator, Richard Kendall, showed an exhibition that “makes a convincing case for their being part of the work's evolution--Degas's exploration of three-dimensions in his habitual two-dimensional language” (Keyes). Some say that Degas was so obsessed with the art of ballet because he could relate to them on a personal level – many dedicated their whole lives and put so much work into ballet but few made it to stardom. This is parallel with the work of artists – many dedicate their whole lives to art and pour themselves into it because they absolutely love it but few make it to the group of artists who are remembered throughout generations and seen in the spotlight. I feel like that relation he had with ballet dancers and other performers shines through in this sculpture. He shows the tense work it takes to be in a ballet class – it doesn’t always look perfect. Beyond just how it looks on the outside, there’s just a feeling of tenseness that shows through this girl. He was really able to show the amount of work the dancers put into this with only one
He seemed to be obsessed with the movement of the dancers and how they shaped their bodies. Many see these drawings and paintings to be after the sculpture’s making, but a museum curator, Richard Kendall, showed an exhibition that “makes a convincing case for their being part of the work's evolution--Degas's exploration of three-dimensions in his habitual two-dimensional language” (Keyes). Some say that Degas was so obsessed with the art of ballet because he could relate to them on a personal level – many dedicated their whole lives and put so much work into ballet but few made it to stardom. This is parallel with the work of artists – many dedicate their whole lives to art and pour themselves into it because they absolutely love it but few make it to the group of artists who are remembered throughout generations and seen in the spotlight. I feel like that relation he had with ballet dancers and other performers shines through in this sculpture. He shows the tense work it takes to be in a ballet class – it doesn’t always look perfect. Beyond just how it looks on the outside, there’s just a feeling of tenseness that shows through this girl. He was really able to show the amount of work the dancers put into this with only one