Why it matters
The silver-haired ballet master Jules Perrot watches a dancer perform at the end of a lesson, while the other girls watch, talk to one another or play with their dresses. Degas captured both the grace and the discipline of ballet as a profession.
Did you know?
- It was painted between 1874 and 1876.
- It was commissioned by the composer Jean-Baptiste Faure.
- Mothers can be seen watching over their children at the back of the room.
Based on the Wikipedia article The Ballet Class (Degas, Musée d'Orsay) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
