Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas, Ballet at the Paris Opéra, pastel over monotype on cream laid paper, France ca. 1877, Art Institute, Chicago. Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas, better known as Edgar Degas, produced many works based on the topics of ballet and everyday life. Through Degas’s life, beginning in 1834 and ending in 1917, he was praised for his talent and influential techniques. As one of the most advanced artists of the nineteenth century, Degas commonly combined historical techniques in unconventional methods. Specifically, in Ballet at the Paris Opéra, he imaginatively connected the monotype approach, extremely unique for the time. This was achieved through “the powder of butterfly wings,” or pastels. He believed that the images of young ballet dancers should portray as much beauty and perfection as a butterfly. Ballet at the Paris Opéra was achieved through the usage of one of the largest monotype plates ever painted upon. It holds Degas’s peculiar points placed in the piece, which portray the urgency and short-lived tone of the scene. He places the viewer within the orchestra pit, where one is met with many individuals looking at the same scene from different perspectives. The top portions of the basses can be seen to the right, protruding into the ballet dancers’ area. The main dancer of the scene is placed at en pointe, or fifth position. The miscellaneous placement of the additional dancers reflects the actions done during a rehearsal rather than a professional performance. The Paris Opéra was a major school, which held the first state-supported ballet, known as Académie Royale de Danse, originating in 1661. The piece was created in France in 1877. It was achieved through the usage of pastel over monotype on cream laid paper.
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