Essay #2

Frieze of Dancers
Edgar Degas
1895

I never realized how much of a tourist trap the MoMa is. I went on a Sunday morning with my girlfriend, hoping it’d be empty, but to no avail. The MoMa seems to be as popular as the MET but it feels much worse, given the substantial space difference, yet the same amount of tourists. Navigating through all the cameras was a chore; a minimum three cameras would surround any given piece. I noticed this one girl who was forcing herself to take selfies with every single artwork. It smelled like Parmesan cheese throughout the museum. Bottom line, it was a tormenting experience. Perhaps all these pesky details became apparent because I knew I had an assignment to do. I wore a Gustav Klimt shirt, ironically, maybe.

I did not tell my girlfriend I was doing an assignment and instead lead her to believe that I was being adventurous by deciding to come to a museum at 11am. She’s an Art History major so I knew I had to take substantial notes of whatever I chose, I also knew that she was bored out of her mind. I have to say that the hardest part of the process was actually choosing something. Which one would I have the most to say about? Which one would I have the least to say about? I decided that it was all the same. I went with Edgar Degas, “A Strange New Beauty,” the newest exhibition. While exploring his paintings I noticed a seven-foot tall security, guarding four paintings, smacking tourists around and yelling “No PICTURES!” He wasn’t actually smacking anybody, but the sight made me smile nonetheless. Pictured left (unless blogspot is ruining the formatting, which is likely) is the painting I chose. I hid in a corner to take notes. I had a row of tourists hiding me so I had ample time to prepare. Below are said notes.

Frieze of Dancers, Edgar Degas, 1895

• ·      Edgar Degas was an 18^th century French artist.
• ·      He embraced the process in which artwork was done and spent much of his time exploring the qualities each phase brought to the final work.
• ·      He depicted bodies, figures in new and strange yet beautiful ways. He attempted to defy convention and reached for something new.
• ·      This painting by him is called “Frieze of Dancers” it is oil on canvas. It was made in 1895.
• ·      One of Degas’ largest paintings, it encapsulates his use of repetition and variation.
• ·      The painting shows four ballerinas sitting on chairs in seemingly identical poses.
• ·      The background seems almost blank with earthy tones, which are present through most of the piece, the painting as a whole is very reminiscent of water coloring. Greens are used as shading within the ballerinas, so as to contrast with the brown-like background. The hair of the ballerinas, again is earth-toned, but is brighter than anything else in the painting.
• ·      Degas defines the four figures by using line. However, we note that not the complete figure is outlined and instead the colors and motion of the brush strokes are used to represent things such as the dresses, and the way in which they’re flowing. Although the figures are fairly devoid of details, Degas still vividly gives the figures character by using this motion.
• ·      Shading is also used on the bottom parts of the figures, giving them depth, it is curious to note that the light is hitting all four figures in the same way and so this brings up the ideas that the figures are actually the same. That it’s just one ballerina being explored from different perspectives, which is something Degas was fond of doing.
• ·      This idea would be further reinforced by the rising popularity of cinema. Degas might’ve been alluding to filmstrip with this painting.

After eating lunch, I messaged my girlfriend the picture of the painting, opened up my Notes app and began reciting words as quickly as I could before she noticed what was happening. After finishing, she asked, “Did we come here to do your homework?” I answered, “No, we came here for a fulfilling experience, I’m just teaching you about this art piece that I found interesting.” She knew I was lying and asked why I chose it. After spacing out for thirty seconds, I decided that I was intrigued by Degas’ obsessive process of repetition, of drafting a painting over and over. All possible perspectives explored. It was obsessive; near passionate, maybe even romantic. She said that she thought the part about the ballerina being the same one but from different perspectives was interesting. Then she scrolled through her Instagram.

 

I would say that the easy part of this assignment was talking about the history of both the artist and the painting. I feel as if there’s more content there to explore, or maybe it’s just easier for me to express. In terms of challenges, I’d say that it was slightly difficult to remember all the visual elements. I didn’t remember which colors were complementary off the top of my head and I didn’t want to use Google to cheat.