Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

Danseuse attachant le cordon de son maillot has often been ascribed a date of conception of around 1882-85, making it a relatively early composition within Edgar Degas' sculptural oeuvre. In this work, Degas has clearly explored a serpentine, twisting motion in the body of his subject: the dancer is turning, focussing all her attention on the point at which she is apparently fastening her tights. In this way, the turning torso recalls Classical sculptures such as the Greek and Roman images of Aphrodite partially concealing herself. Degas was clearly looking towards ancient precedents in his sculptures and pictures; however, he was adding a fresh new perspective, locating the ephemeral and ethereal beauty of those idealized goddesses of past belief in the women of Paris during his own era. Thus, this moment of concentration as the dancer fastens her tights becomes a prolonged instance of contemplation. In Danseuse attachant le cordon de son maillot, Degas has used everyday life as a precedent for this exploration of the corkscrewing dynamism of his subject. In the case of this sculpture, his use of precedents for the purpose of studying particular phenomena and poses is made all the more explicit by the fact that this woman is in fact depicted naked: the 'maillot' which she is supposedly attaching is not there, meaning that this is a fiction being carried out and recorded for Degas' own purposes. Thus this snapshot of a woman preparing herself by arranging her clothing becomes something at once simpler and far more complex: it is a make-believe pretext for his intense scrutiny of the human body. The fact that this nude is fastening a clearly fictitious maillot also provides us with an insight into Degas' artistic programme, as he directed his models within his studio, be they clothed or nude, eschewing the direct observation that he might have been able fleetingly to enjoy at the theatre or in a rehearsal studio. 'I assure you that no art was ever less spontaneous than mine,' he explained in terms that clearly apply to this deliberate study of a pose that has seemingly been orchestrated by Degas himself. 'What I do is the result of reflection and study of the great masters; of inspiration, spontaneity, temperament - temperament is the word - I know nothing' (Degas, quoted in R. Kendall, ed., Degas by Himself: Drawings, Prints, Paintings, Writings, London, 1987, p. 311).