Ballerina In Red - Canvas Print

Edgar Degas, is his formative years as a young artist, came across a burgeoning group of likeminded artists Monet, Renoir, and Sisley. The group would go on to form the basis of the Impressionists, and together would change the face of western painting. Participating in the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874, Degas subsequently stood out as an urban, socially aware painter of the Impressionist style. Unlike his contemporaries his medium was the economic and cultural environment of Paris, its seedy underbelly, its savage social hierarchies, and most importantly, its dancers. Driven from the glare of natural light by a crippling eye condition, Degas turned to the gloomy interiors of rehearsal studios and ballet theatres to find a microcosm for the sickly condition of French life in the late nineteenth century. Known since as the 'painter of dancers' Degas' 1500-plus works depicting figures in movement were in fact predominantly drawn in pastels. The result is an otherworldly elegance and frozen reality that eloquently captures the visceral energy and fragility of these young dancers. Degas' "Ballerina In Red" is a savage critique of the miserable treatment of "The Dancers required to fill the halls of the luxury theatres of Paris' upper class. This iconic work is an example of the artist's documentary style, and his eagerness to give life and expression to the neglected protagonists of urban modernity. Drawn in dramatic chiaroscuro, "Ballerina In Red" is a dynamic indictment of modern alienation - preparing for the spotlight but destined for a lifetime in the shade of poverty.