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Edgar Degas
Grande Arabesque, Third Time (First Arabesque Penchée)
1882Degas made annotated drawings of classical ballet positions in order to familiarise himself with the discipline. Similarly he modelled single dancers in wax and clay. The ‘grande arabesque' is a pose in which the dancer is supported on one leg with the other extended behind. Degas made differing versions of the position including three of the ‘arabesque penchée' (leaning). These show successive phases of the same movement, becoming increasingly lower each time.
The figures modelled by Degas were not intended for exhibition and no casts were made from them during his lifetime. After Degas's death, seventy-two of the small figures found in his studio were suitable to cast. Thirty-seven of these models were dancers.
- Glossary (2 terms)
- Open
Cast
The production of a sculpture by use of a mould to make a copy, usually in a more durable material, of the original work. The term is used to describe both the process and the resulting object.
Inscription
Text written on a book, document or artwork. Examples include the added information such as edition number and date on a print, or a dedication written in a book.
- Glossary (3 terms)
- Open
École des Beaux-Arts
A government art school in Paris founded in 1628. Though once under royal control, it was made independent by Napoléon III in 1863.
Impressionism
An influential style of painting that originated in France in the 1870s with artists such as Claude Monet, Pierre-August Renoir and Alfred Sisley. They were interested in capturing the changing effects of light, frequently exploring this through landscape scenes painted in the open air.
An image pressed or stamped onto paper or fabric. This encompasses a wide variety of techniques, usually produced in multiples, although one-off prints, known as monoprints, are also included. The term is also applied to photographic images.
- Credits Sir Alexander Maitland Bequest 1965
- Medium Bronze
- Size Height: 40.30 cm; Weight: 4kg
