Born into a family of musicophiles, Edgar Degas grew up visiting the Opéra de Paris. It was not until 1860, thanks to the introduction of a musician friend, that he could venture behind the scenes and was captivated by the dynamic world of ballet students rehearsing backstage. This vibrant environment enchanted Degas and led him to focus much of his career on depicting the corps de ballet – groups of dedicated young dancers immersed in their art. Édouard Manet, recognising Degas’ unique vision, dubbed him “the painter of dancers” as he strove to meticulously portray the bellerinas' intimate moments, from practice to performance, ultimately revealing the behind-the-scenes life with his masterful strokes.
Our drawing captures the poignant moments preceding a ballet performance by showcasing a dynamic half-length representation of four young girls adjusting their dresses before taking the stage. The fluid, energetic charcoal strokes, and the artist’s careful arrangement of the composition, provide the scene with a remarkable sense of volumetric depth that expresses the bustling atmosphere in which the artist sketched. Eschewing idealisation, in our scene Degas celebrates the demanding reality of these young dancers’ craft: their facial expressions, spontaneous and natural as they move, highlight the authentic, unembellished essence of backstage life that contrasted the polished perfection of the final performance.
Acquired at the fourth sale of Degas’ studio, our drawing entered the collection of Alfred Cassirer, a noted supporter of the Impressionist movement and brother of the prominent German art dealer Paul Cassirer, in 1919. The Cassirer brothers were influential in championing Impressionism and European avant-garde art in Germany, a country still largely anchored in Classical traditions. After Alfred Cassirer’s passing in 1932, the drawing was inherited by his daughter Eva, and remained within the family until it was auctioned in 2022.