Degas

"The Star" by Edgar Degas

The star is as close to a portrait as any of Degas' dance compositions. The receding lines of the floor board and the curve of the stage to the upper left work to focus attention on the central ballerina. The ballerina seems to have universal features of a woman of Asian decent. The dancers are what seem to be in rehearsal since the lights are on in what seems like a theater. The main dancer is wearing an outfit that is different from the outfits that the other ballerinas are wearing. The main ballerina is in front of eight or nine other dancers of which degas has mastered the human form in contorted positions.

This piece of art seems simple but also complex. The central dancer seems to hold some command over the dancers and not just because of the different costume but also because of the universal stance that we associate with ballet. She is rehearsing as do the other dancers but she seems distant from them. As they all work together she works on the same stage but not really with them.

The composition of the piece is really quite basic. The main dancer is the focal point, and she is a little off center but balanced by the activity behind her. "The Star" or the central figure is almost definitively in a still position, while the other dancers seem to be in perpetual motion. Again there is a presence from "The Star" that separates her from the others; maybe this is why a painting of her deserves the title, "The Star."

The dancer seems to have a beautiful female figure and at the same time there is a sense of weight to her form especially from the waist down. The Star appears to be in her late teens, a young and healthy woman. It is evident that Degas was seriously interested in the female shape. I feel that he is more into a women's "shape" but not necessarily the average figure, but the blueprintish figure