Three Russian dancers
Edgar Degas·1895
Historical Context
Three Russian Dancers (1895), at the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, is one of several works in which Degas depicted Russian ballerinas in their distinctive peasant-influenced costumes — large floral headdresses, colourful skirts, and boots — as opposed to the tutu of Western classical ballet. Russian dance companies visiting Paris brought with them a repertoire of folk-inspired works that contrasted sharply with the French company's productions, and their vivid costumes offered Degas a new chromatic challenge. The Nationalmuseum's holding reflects Scandinavian collecting of French Impressionism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Technical Analysis
The Russian costumes' bold floral patterns and vivid primary colours required Degas to work with a higher chromatic intensity than the pale pinks and whites of the standard tutu. He captures the weight and movement of the heavier folk garments through broad, gestural marks that suggest the fabric's resistance to the dancer's body.
