Two Ballet Dancers

Edgar Degas (French, 1834-1917) - Two Ballet Dancers, c.1879 (Pastel and gouache on paper. Shelburne Museum, Vermont) - Degas shows two dancers in an abrupt, expressive design. The young dancers are spent and the one on the left massages her foot indicating discomfort. They are far removed from the magic illusion of the stage and performance that many expected of Degas…