Existing comment:
Edgar Degas
The Dance Class, begun 1873, completed 1875-1876
Jules Perrot
from https://www.nga.gov/features/degas-opera.html
Jules Perrot was a celebrated dancer and choreographer during the 1830s–1850s -- the period during which the Paris ballet was considered to be at its artistic peak -- and he is credited with the creation of several of the most famous ballets of the 19th century, notably Giselle (1841). He toured Europe and eventually became the ballet master at the Imperial Russian Ballet in Saint Petersburg. He had retired by the time Degas began his exploration of the ballet; nevertheless, the artist depicted Perrot several times in the role of exacting ballet master, a reminder of a glorious era since gone. |