Was Edgar Degas more interested in the girls or the movement in his paintings? Dancers come in all shapes, sizes and styles. They could be the everyday kid who is always ready to spin upside down on a piece of cardboard or even the contortionist who dreams of one day being part of Cirque Du Soleil while practicing in a professional studio. A dancer progresses at their own pace and specializes in what they want. While visiting the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park, a photo of a ballerina caught my attention. The Ballerina by Edgar Degas is a photo that doesn't stand out but stands out like a hidden gem in a small museum room. The medium of this photo is oil on canvas and was created in 1876, around the beginning of Impressionism artwork. This photo was made to introduce movement into art because what is seen can be perceived in another way by another individual. As a dancer who is still learning, this photo caught my attention in the sense that there is a lot of discipline involved in this style of dance. This style of dance not only takes up the classical theme of the music, but also takes on a sense of contortionism, meaning that most dancers of this genre can walk on tiptoe for hours at a time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Edgar Degas has many photos of movement and many photos of ballerinas, whether they were in unison or merged into one photo. Therefore, Edgar Degas wanted to see ballet in a new spotlight, introduce the presence of more women into his paintings and demonstrate the art of contortion. In this painting, The Ballerina, Edgar uses a variety of colors to portray a ballerina. What catches the eye about this photo is the dancer herself positioned in the center of the canvas. The dancer appears in a light blue tutu. The tutu is the type of dress that ballerinas wear for their respected performances. The author then goes on to use a shade of brown and green to visualize the different spaces in the photo. The shade of brown starts at the top right of the ballerina, then slowly translates into shades of green to also illustrate depth in terms of highlighting the size of the room. The white wall displayed to the dancer's left serves to emphasize that the dancer may be practicing on stage live or in his or her respective studio. The color black was used to highlight the traditional dress shoe for artists during this period. Nowadays, most ballerinas wear a tan or brown show that includes a tip at the end of the shoe. With the transition colors going from behind the dancer to below her, Edgar included the different colors to distinguish the space a dancer had in the respected setting whether it was a studio-school or a stage. With the brown and green color tainted on the ground, it's easy to point out how much space the performer has to perform. The dancer also has two-tone walls with respected lines running along the floor portion of the photo to indicate that she doesn't have to get too close to the wall either while performing a complicated trick. Edgar demonstrates the distinguishable space in this photo as it is focused on the Ballerina. The light source may be tricky to spot in this photo. As mentioned above, Edgar uses light colors to distinguish the light source coming from above. A more realistic vision in terms of light coming from above and reflected between the walls of the place where this dancer is located. As a common feature in most dance studios, lighting isessential for most novice performers to see who they are following or to see their own moves. Another feature of this photo is that you can find a small glimpse of shadow along the lines of the ballerina's tutu. It's not a shadow standing out anyway; it is more incorporated into the dancer's specialized clothing. Consequently Edgar does not have a natural light source but uses the colors of the light to his advantage by simulating a light source coming from above. From the first impression of seeing this photo, it is easy to point out that Edgar makes use of many lines throughout this photo. Some straight lines can be found between the dancer's tutu and between the walls that create the setting for the dancer. The vertical lines are easily found between the dancers' legs and rest between the folds of his tutu. Horizontal lines are also found between the wall in terms of contention of the entire wall from the edges running along the bottom of the walls. Diagonal lines are found in the pose the dancer holds in the photo, whether it's a point in the shoe on the far left or her arms slightly lowered at an angle. Wavy lines can be found at the bottom of the tutu given the pose it holds. Another distinguishable line is that Edgar chose a black line that outlines the dancer's skin tone as seen along her respected outer limbs. One thing that seems strange is that Edgar didn't include lines to distinguish this dancer's facial features. Lines are not only important in stationary art, whether it is on a canvas or a wall, but also in the performing arts, especially during a dance class or performance. From a linear perspective, this dancer is more asymmetrical than symmetrical. To break it down, look at its placement. Edgar doesn't have her stand in the standard standing position where she could have stood on her tiptoes. Instead, Edgar paints this dancer in an asymmetrical position where her right leg is extended towards the left side of the painting while her left foot is resting on her toes. With her arms wide open, you can also see that this dancer's arms are not straight like airplane wings but have a slight bend as if she is performing a trick or technical movement. This position is not only common among ballerinas because figure skaters have also adopted this technique to include it when balancing on thin steel blades on the ice. On my trip to this Balboa museum, consistency was key. From my photographic perspective, it would appear that the texture of this photo is more smooth than stiff. As much as it seems like a rough texture, this painting was completed on canvas, which is why the texture of this painting is smooth. Given the poise of the painting, Edgar made this photo with almost no drip marks through his masterpiece when painting with oils. The atmospheric perspective of this perspective of a dancer gives the impression that this dancer is in a private studio on a stage or in a ballet class. Due to the lack of his peers or classmates, it is obvious that he could find himself in either situation. It's more reasonable to believe that she might be in a private ballet lesson, meaning the space has faded colored walls behind her. If it were a stage, it might be obvious with a wooden patterned floor or even a black covered ground, as commonly seen used in many theaters or performing arts centers. Another part of the atmospheric perspective is that it could also represent a dancer's loneliness, meaning there are no peers around her. Already knowing that ballet commonly uses soundsorganic parts of an orchestra, it could also be that the atmospheric perspective is not to emphasize a group as a whole but to emphasize the many dancers one by one. In other words, the atmospheric perspective does not emphasize the entire photo which could consist of an entire ballet lesson but instead emphasizes small portions such as the importance of a dancer's presences. Ballet usually emphasizes a person's ability to be equivalent to a group's skill with the respect that each performer has a signature move they are known for or their preferences. Movement is something fundamental among dancers and even skaters. Whether it is a small movement that isolates one part of the body or a complete movement that involves the entire body, all movements are uniquely distinct when a person performs them. In this photo, the dancer appears from a still point of view. However, when the viewer looks towards the floor and towards the dancer's feet, it is perceived that the dancer is performing a circular movement with one leg slightly bent and positioned in front of her. With the slight bending of her arms, the movement also shows that her arms are tense to balance the support as she is shown spinning on one foot using her toes to achieve the smoothest rotation. The lack of a face may suggest that the movement demonstrated occurred along the path of the rotation. Since the dancer is not looking directly straight ahead in this movement, it demonstrates the importance of how her head should fall in the same suit as the movement being completed. Even in figure skating techniques, the movement of where you want to go or what you want to do must align with the correct movements of the body. By now, many of us have seen the optical illusion of the posing dancer rotating left or right. In this photo it is easy to point out that the directional force could go to the right. Regardless of the fact that people should see it from the correct anatomical point of view, it would appear that the dancer is actually rotating to the left. With his left foot on the ground and facing directly towards a viewer, he gives the viewer more reflection as he has his right leg out and slightly bent. In terms of directional force, the viewer can possibly see that the dancer could rotate in other directions. In the realm of figure skating, whether entering a camel spin or a vertical spin, the direction you choose may be to the back or to the front when performing a trick. In ballet, the most common entry into spins and turns usually starts from the front position, but immediately swinging the entire body backwards with the desired leg leads to rotation. One thing that is a rare sight for sore eyes nowadays is a chubby ballerina. In terms of mass and volume, most dancers are considered healthy and light on the balls of their feet. In the canvas composed by Edgar Degas, the Ballerina displays a fit physique to highlight how most dancers were perceived. While the ballerina standing on tiptoe on one foot may seem heavy, Edgar makes her seem light as a flower, as if she is walking on a glass floor. By doubling the two colors of the walls, the volume released is equivalent to the corner of a room or a box. The dancer is also balancing on the balls of her feet, which in reality if performed by the average person, the pose could cause an unpleasant pain in the toe of the entire foot. Therefore, Edgar Degas completely captures the complexity of how a ballerina represents a light mass when she is constantly on tiptoe. Edgar Degas wasthe best impressionist artist of his time? In my opinion, his style and perspective were interesting in terms of his interest in how he perceived dancers. Everyone has that defining moment in life. Whether it is Edgar Degas who left a mark in the impression period in art or a ballerina who masters the most difficult movement and makes it her special move. Edgar Degas was the best impressionist artist of his time because he saw ballet in a different spotlight, included more women in his artwork, and was really interested in the movement of how the body can function. Art in terms of culinary arts, performing arts, theater arts, or athletic arts can be seen as a joke to many people, meaning they might not take people seriously if someone said, “I'm a professional figure skating dancer ". (Afanaseva). From famous dancers like Fik-Shun and Dytto, the practice of becoming a better dancer is something that never ends for them. Edgar Degas was a man who contributed so many works of art from a dancer's perspective. Edgar Degas saw more than just a dancer. “Edgar Degas saw these artists as people with real professional work through the emphasis demonstrated in his works of art” (“Edgar Degas - The Complete Works - Biography - Edgar-Degas.Org”). In the Impressionist era, Degas never saw something that we now take for granted in our performing arts. While it's hard to be like modern professional dancer Brittany Cavaco, dancers of all genres are out there still trying to make their mark in the realm of today's dancers. Therefore, Edgar Degas never took for granted that the dancers were their dancers and indeed emphasized them through the numerous painted depictions he created such as in this case, The Ballerina. The Ballerina was a stepping stone in bringing women back into the spotlight of art. In this photo, the presence of a woman represents strength in the beauty of work. “Edgar Degas has another picture called The Rehearsal. In this photo it is clear that the main theme mentioned is the presence of women in his numerous canvases. Since this is another example of the topic at hand, it also highlights how women had a greater emphasis in his line of artistic masterpieces” (Gardner and Kleiner 362). “Edgar Degas places emphasis in many paintings on the theme of ballerinas in terms of different perspectives or the presence of more than one woman” (Gardner and Kleiner 361). Therefore, Edgar had addressed many topics in the art forms he composed, whether it was his fascination with women or the demonstrations of ballerinas. The dancers are basically the original master contortionists. Starting from a young age and bending and flexing their body parts in ways they shouldn't be flexed is something that makes them truly extraordinary. Being double jointed is another advantage when a person decides to dance because they could use their hidden talents to their advantage. Edgar Degas was a fan of the movement. “Through his portraits of ballerinas, he was able to address the many ways in which the body could move and contort into unexpected viewpoints,” (Schenkel). It is nothing other than pure movement captured in the canvas La Ballerina. Reiterating that she is spinning on one foot while maintaining balance on the balls of her feet and at the same time bending her arms and legs in an open position is what gives her a clean recipe for a spin. "The ballerina's face is a thing to behold, but another feature worth highlighting is the swish of her tutu which also follows the movement of her leg at the same time," ("San Diego Museum Of Art - The Ballerina"). When I came across this.