# Before the Ballet, in Impressionism

Edgar Degas painted this in 1890/1892, aged about 56. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

Our note:

> Two dancers in robin’s-egg-blue tutus sit on a bench in the foreground, one bending low to reach her foot, the other pulling on her pink tights, while across a broad expanse of floor four more practise with legs raised high.

[Read the full label](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/before-the-ballet-nga-1158#about-work)

## The work

- Date: 1890/1892
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: overall: 40 x 88.9 cm (15 3/4 x 35 in.) framed: 59.7 x 109.8 x 8.2 cm (23 1/2 x 43 1/4 x 3 1/4 in.)
- Type: Painting
- Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1942.9.19
- Licence: CC0 1.0

## The artist

[Edgar Degas](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/edgar-degas), French, 1834–1917

Degas trained in the academic tradition, admired Ingres and spent three years in Italy copying earlier art, but turned to modern Paris for his subjects: dancers, racecourses, laundresses, milliners and café singers.

15 works in the collection.

## Walk on

- [More by Edgar Degas](https://www.ochreeditions.com/galleries/artist/edgar-degas?hang=749) (15 works)
- [More paintings of the 19th century](https://www.ochreeditions.com/galleries/style/painting-19?hang=749) (432 works)
- [19th-century France](https://www.ochreeditions.com/galleries/era/19-france?hang=749) (237 works)

## Get it

- [Print this work](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/before-the-ballet-nga-1158#print)
- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1335.jpg?dl=1
- [The work's page](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/before-the-ballet-nga-1158)