Description
Degas’ Dancer in Her Dressing Room depicts a ballerina fixing her hair backstage. This is a familiar subject for Degas, as well as a familiar way of rendering it. She looks at the mirror rather than engaging the viewer’s gaze. In addition, Degas has rendered a somewhat private scene that the viewer is allowed to peek into. Degas was a master of creating these intimate moments. Critics attribute his study of Japanese prints to his experimentation with angles and compositions, such as those depicted here. Also notice the angle of her foot as she stands poised to perfection. Degas had a knack for depicting these very intricate dance movements. Our hand-painted oil reproduction of the original, which can be found at the Cincinnati Museum of Art, measures 24″ x 36″.
