"The Star" by Edgar Degas

Media: Pastel on Paper

Dimensions: 23 5/8”x 17 3/8”

Date: 1878

 Edgar Degas was another key member of the French impressionism art movement. Like Monet, he also worked at the latter half of the 19^th century and the first part of the 20^th. Human figures are the main subject of Degas’ work. He is best known for his many studies on ballerinas, which comprise more than half of his artwork.

 Degas said, "People call me painter of dancing girls. It has never occurred to them that my chief interest in dancers lies in rendering movement and in painting pretty clothes."

 Edgar Degas’ model for The Star was Rosita Mauri, a talented young ballerina who debuted in 1878 at the Paris Opéra. Rosita was identified because Degas had described her features and gestures so accurately.

 There is a dreamlike quality to ballet, with the ballerinas floating and soaring across the floor in their light and airy clothing. Degas captures this quality well in his impressionistic piece, not only in the ballerina, but also in the blurring of the stage and bystanders.