Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

Among the wax sculptures that were discovered in Degas' studio after his death and which survived the transformation into bronze, the theme of the dancer at rest was one that recurred several times, showing its incredible importance to the artist. Conceived around 1882-1895, Danseuse au repos, les mains sur les reins, la jambe droite en avant shows a dancer, seemingly devoid of clothing, appearing to stretch and relax in a moment of calm either before or after her vigorous exertions on the stage or in rehearsal. Her arms are bent behind her back, forming triangular loops within the sculpture, as she arches her back a little, appearing to push her torso forwards, emphasizing the spring-like nature of the human body, and in particular a highly trained dancer's. This was a pose that Degas would explore in a number of his paintings and drawings as well, several of which are in museum collections: he was clearly drawn to its ability to conjure an impression of informality, providing us with an intriguing snapshot into the life of the ballerina. The position of the dancer, which appears so much more hieratic here in its incarnation in the nude, in part recalls ancient statuary, such as the ancient Greek sculptures of the kouros which always showed a striding male. Certainly, there is an exultory and near-ritual elegance to the posture evoked in Danseuse au repos, les mains sur les reins, la jambe droite en avant, with the face straining upwards and the back arching gently, the body a sturdy pyramid with the legs apart, one in front of the other.

As well as his models of the dancer at rest shown essentially in the nude, Degas also created another sculpture on a fractionally smaller scale which showed a clothed dancer, the Danseuse habillée au repos, les mains sur les reins, la jambe droite en avant. It is the existence of this dressed dancer and of her pictorial counterparts that confirms that Degas, in creating his Danseuse au repos, les mains sur les reins, la jambe droite en avant, was looking at dancers in these images behind the scenes. However, in the nude version, the context of the ballet is removed, making it a more universal celebration of female grace, beauty and motion.