Two Dancers Resting

Currently not on view

Two Dancers Resting

c. 1890-1900

Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917)

This preparatory drawing is executed in charcoal and red chalk on dark beige tracing paper. Degas mounted his initial sketch on cardboard to increase the size of the drawing surface, a practice he commonly employed. However, in this piece Degas did not extend the drawing. The bold strokes convey the sense of the artist actively working out his image, erasing and smudging the charcoal in the arms, hands, and faces and possibly wetting the stick of charcoal or applying a wet brush to create darker accents, as in the heel of the figure at right.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Two Dancers Resting

Date:

c. 1890-1900

Artist:

Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917)

Medium:

Red chalk and charcoal with wet brush on paper (tracing paper)

Dimensions:

Sheet: 22 1/4 x 17 1/2 inches (56.5 x 44.5 cm)

Classification:

Drawings

Credit Line:

The Samuel S. White 3rd and Vera White Collection, 1967

Accession Number:

1967-30-20

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Currently not on view