Dancers

Edgar Degas (French, 1834-1917) – Dancers, c.1900 (Pastel and charcoal on tracing paper; mounted on wove paper mounted on board. Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester) - - This pastel was produced late in the artist’s life when his eyesight had begun to fail. It is possible that his diminished vision resulted in the heavy contours that surround the dancers and give only the barest suggestion of their facial features. Rather than attempting great detail, he concentrated on mapping out the unpredictable effects of theatrical lighting on the forms of the figures…