Waiting, a pastel by Edgar Degas, was created sometime around 1882 and is part of his series of works focusing on ballet dancers. While there are hundreds of drawings/paintings in his collection, only a few dozen show ballerinas performing on stage. The majority of Degas’ pieces capture behind-the-scenes moments that help the viewer learn more about a dancer’s life off the stage.
DIRECTIONS
- Spend a quiet minute or two looking at the artwork. Then, describe what you see. What part stands out the most?
- Write two adjectives that describe the feeling, mood, or atmosphere created in this piece of art:
- Choose a specific element (a color, an item one of the figures is wearing or holding, the bench, etc.) that catches your eye and explain a symbolic meaning that item/element could hold.
- Comment on the posture and/or body language of the two figures. Do you think they know each other? What leads you to this conclusion? What do you suppose each of the two figures is thinking?
- Thinking about the subject matter, mood, and symbolic element/s you’ve noticed, what’s a reasonable message this painting delivers to the viewer?
- If you were asked by Degas’ representative to give this painting a new name, what name would you choose? Explain your reasoning.
The image will be attached below.
