Degas and the Dance - Softcover

Devonyar, Jill; Kendall, Richard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1885444265 ISBN 13: 9781885444264

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, 2002

Synopsis

Among the supreme masterpieces of 19th-century art are Edgar Degas's dramatic, incisive, and often brilliantly colored pictures of the ballet. Yet despite his enormous popularity as the foremost artist of the dance—with more than half his vast body of paintings, pastels, drawings, and sculptures devoted to the on- and off-stage activities of ballerinas—this is the first book to illuminate the theme in its historical context.

This authoritative volume presents much new material about Degas as an artist and his relationship with the ballet of his day. Far more knowledgeable about the training and technique of dancers than has previously been realized, Degas is shown responding to numerous ballet productions at the Paris Opéra, to the shadowy life of the wings, and to the daily routines of the classroom. Originally published to accompany an acclaimed exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Philadelphia Museum of Art , this lavish, richly illustrated volume should fascinate a wide audience of art- and dance-lovers.

About this title

About the Author:

Jill DeVonyar is an independent curator and a former ballet dancer who continues to teach ballet.

From Booklist:

Edgar Degas' fascination with the ballet is legendary. What is less well known, and what this beautifully illustrated volume shows so well, is that many of his works are the result of an intimate link with the Paris Opera. Kendall, an art historian and recognized authority on Degas, and DeVonyar, an independent curator and former dancer, have taken the myths that have grown up around Degas' paintings and career and attempted to replace them with factual sources for his work. Degas' personal knowledge of the dancers, understanding of the dance and its techniques, connection with both the old and new opera houses, and free access to rehearsal rooms, dressing rooms, and other backstage areas are explored in detail in a successful effort to understand how he came to portray the ballet as intimately as he did. Books about Degas abound. What makes this one fresh and unique is its inclusion of early and little-known sketches, and focus on how and why Degas came to prefer depicting backstage reality rather than dance itself. Lauren Roberts
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1885444265
• ISBN 13: 9781885444264
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 308