Seated Dancer is a drawing by Edgar Degas, created in 1873-74. The artwork showcases Degas’ fascination with performers, which he also depicted in other works such as Dancer Against a Stage Flat, Singer in Green, and Russian Dancers. During the 1870s, Degas’ interest in dancers intensified, and he often painted them backstage to capture their unique poses candidly with their surroundings.
Degas’ composition for Seated Dancer showcases a dancer who is crouching down to adjust her slipper or massage her ankle, a pose he has used before in his paintings. The artwork is a pastel and charcoal painting on paper mounted on cardboard. Also, the color pink used in the paper is another element worth mentioning as it adds to the artwork’s overall ambiance.
Another artwork relevant to Seated Dancer is Sitting Dancer, which is a painting by Degas from 1879-80. Both works demonstrate Degas’ talent in portraying candid snapshots of dancers practicing or getting ready to perform while capturing their unique environment and all the elements of the backstage scene.
