The Ballet Class Painted by: Edgar Degas When: 1871-1874 Materials and Technique: oil on canvas Interesting Fact: Degas was one of the original Impressionists, though he preferred to call himself a Realist, or Independent. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com Ballet School Painted by: Edgar Degas When: 1873 Materials and Technique: oil on canvas Interesting Fact: In the 1870s Degas had an increased interest in ballet dancers that was reflected in his art. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com The Rehearsal Of The Ballet On Stage Painted by: Edgar Degas When: 1874 Materials and Technique: pastel on paper Interesting Fact: Degas created approximately 1500 paintings with ballet dancers as the subject matter. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com Dancer Putting on Her Shoe Painted by: Edgar Degas When: 1896 Materials and Technique: pastel Interesting Fact: The purpose of Degas ballet paintings were not for traditional portraits, but instead as a study of the movement of the human body, and the discipline and postures of the dancers from various vantage points. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com Dancer In Her Dressing Room Painted by: Edgar Degas When: 1879 Materials and Technique: pastel Interesting Fact: Degas loved to use pops of color, and his use of pastels in works such as this one works perfectly in combination. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com Ballet Rehearsal Painted by: Edgar Degas When: 1875 Materials and Technique: pastel Interesting Fact: He often spent time painting and observing in the wings of the home of the Paris Opera and Ballet, where young girls were learning to portray fairies, wood nymphs, and royalty. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com Dancer With A Bouquet Of Flowers Painted by: Edgar Degas When: 1878 Materials and Technique: Interesting Fact: The portrayal of ballet dancers gave Degas both classical beauty and modern realism that he would recreate with new techniques and perspective. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com Russian Ballet Painted by: Konstantin Somov When: 1930 Materials and Technique: Interesting Fact: Russian painter Somov created this interesting piece which gives us a view of both the dancers, the orchestra, and the audience, skillfully giving us a glimpse into the experience of being at the Russian Ballet. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com The Ballet Dancers AKA The Dressing Room Painted by: Willard Metcalf When: 1885 Materials and Technique: Interesting Fact: Metcalf was an American artist who studied in Boston and Paris. He is best-known for his landscape paintings, though he did some figure paintings such as this one. He is considered to be an American Impressionist painter. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com The Spanish Ballet Painted by: Edouard Manet When: 1862 Materials and Technique: oil on canvas Interesting Fact: Manet was a French painter of the Realism and Impressionism styles. He produced a large body of work that included many different types of subject matter and styles. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com Red Ballet Skirts Painted by: Edgar Degas When: 1897-1901 Materials and Technique: pastel Interesting Fact: Degas sometimes liked to focus on one color very heavily in a piece. In this one, obviously the red of the skirts, but also reddish overtones on the skin and background are very prominent. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com Blue Dancers Painted by: Edgar Degas When: 1899 Materials and Technique: pastels Interesting Fact: Here is another example of a Degas “monotype” pastel, with the focus being blue. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com Dancer Painted by: Edgar Degas When: 1877-1878 Materials and Technique: pastel Interesting Fact: This piece is an excellent example of how Degas liked to portray dancers from a variety of perspectives, not just straight-on and symmetrically. Also, the pastel hashing behind the dancer creates an interesting and dramatic effect. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com Mlle Fiocre in the Ballet “The Source” Painted by: Edgar Degas When: 1867-1868 Materials and Technique: oil on canvas Interesting Fact: Opera and ballet were an important and popular part of the Paris social scene at this time, so it is perhaps not surprising that Degas would become so interested in these performers. He had to put forth quite an effort to gain access to the classrooms and backstage areas in order to observe. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com Ballet Scene Painted by: Ilya Repin When: 1875 Materials and Technique: oil on cardboard Interesting Fact: Repin was a Russian realist painter who is credited with bringing Russian art into the mainstream European art culture. He was always looking for new techniques and methods to use in making his work better and more interesting. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com Russisches Ballett (II) Painted by: August Macke When: 1912 Materials and Technique: oil on canvas Interesting Fact: Macke was a German Expressionist painter who is known for boldly-colored blocks of shapes in his works. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com Dancer at the Barre Painted by: Edgar Degas When: 1880 Materials and Technique: pastel Interesting Fact: Degas ballerinas continue to remain as some of his most enduringly beloved works across the world. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com Dancer Tilting Painted by: Edgar Degas When: 1883 Materials and Technique: pastel Interesting Fact: Degas was born in Paris in 1834, during the same decade when other artistic greats such as Manet, Cezanne, Renoir, Monet, and Morisot were born. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com Dancers In Green Painted by: Edgar Degas When: 1878 Materials and Technique: pastel Interesting Fact: Degas didn’t want to focus solely on the magic and poetry of the finished performance. Instead, he choose to show the hard work, humanity, and ordinary beauty of the process behind the scenes. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com The Dancer Painted by: Pierre-Auguste Renoir When: 1874 Materials and Technique: oil on canvas Interesting Fact: Though both Renoir and Degas were impressionist painters, you can see a contrast between their styles with this example. Renoir choose a more formal portrait approach, whereas Degas preferred to focus on more candid moments. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com “Every child should leave school with at least a couple hundred pictures by great masters hanging permanently in the halls of his imagination.” ~Charlotte Mason Fine Art Pages make it easy! I don’t think I’m alone as a homeschool mother who dreams of sharing fine art with her children.....and then not getting it done. I mean, by the time the money is spent on math books and science supplies and penmanship workbooks and great books to read, it feels hard to part with any more money for art books. Or if you *do* get the art books, you have probably noticed that the kids don’t really gravitate toward them. Nobody’s reading them! Nobody’s looking at the pictures! It feels like nobody cares! And after a long day of schooling the kiddos, do you really want to tack art onto the schedule as well? I know, ladies. I know. One day I came up with an idea. What if I could introduce fine art to my children simply, painlessly, inexpensively, without taking up hardly any time, and in a way that would prevent the children from resistance because they wouldn’t even realize anything was going on? YES! So here it is, so simple that I’m kicking myself for not thinking of this sooner: Fine Art Pages. Print these out (either at home, or hire an office or copy shop to do it for you), either on regular paper or card stock. Use page protectors or don’t--your choice. Then stick up some art on the walls where every family member will see them and have some time to notice them. Where? The bathroom, next to the toilet. (yes, I’m serious) The bathroom, on the mirror or next to it, where people will see the art while they brush their teeth. On the wall next to each person’s bed (if they are old enough to be trusted), where they can see the art while they lay down and wake up each day. Ballet Fine Art Pages from EnrichmentStudies.com On the wall by the kitchen sink, where people will see the art when they wash dishes or wash their hands or get a drink of water or help make dinner. Do you see where I’m going with this? Basically, anyplace that you notice the eye will rest is a potentially great spot for one of these art pages to go. Use some poster putty and stick that piece of art on the wall. You don’t even have to tell anybody what you’re doing. Just stick it up and walk away. Because they will notice it. You may find that your family would enjoy some fun incentives for paying attention to the art around the house. If you have a reward system, or if you want to create one, now is a great time! Let the kids know that random opportunities will come up for them to tell what they know about the art, such as the name of the piece, the artist, materials used, and so on. And then....wait. At lunch one day you might ask, “Who knows the title of the piece of art in the upstairs bathroom?” and then reward the ones that know and reinforce it for the rest. In the car you might ask, “Who painted the picture of the Mona Lisa that is on the back door?” Since you, too, will be exposed to the art while you go about your daily life, this should become an easy and natural part of your awareness.