“Dancers in Blue,” by Edgar Degas (1834-1917), exhibits Degas’ extraordinary depiction of natural, spontaneous movement, use of unusual angles and brilliant composition. Shunning the Impressionists’ fascination with natural light and painting outdoors, Degas preferred to be called a Realist, implementing daring compositional innovations that broke from traditionally balanced arrangements, profoundly influencing later artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec and Picasso. Degas was drawn to theatrical subjects, including racecourses, cafés and music halls, and made sketches from living models to capture their spontaneity, later completing the paintings in the studio.

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