Four Dancers

c. 1899

Oil on canvas, 151.1 × 180.2 cm. National Gallery of Art, Washington

Four dancers in orange bodices adjust their straps before going on, crowded into the left half of a wide canvas. It shows the strong color and simple forms of Degas's late work.

Each figure reaches for a strap at a different angle, so the group can read as one dancer turning. Catching movement, not a fixed pose, was an Impressionist aim.
Thick black outlines surround the bodies.
The tutus and backdrop are loose dabs of green, yellow, blue, pink and gold.
Chester Dale bought it from Durand-Ruel in 1931 and left it to the National Gallery of Art in 1963.

Before an entrance, dancers made last checks of their costumes in the wings. Opéra scenery often included painted flats of trees, so the backdrop can read as a stage set or a real landscape.

Image: National Gallery of Art Open Access · CC0