Edgar DEGAS (1834-1917) Four dancers performing Fusain... Lot 4

Edgar DEGAS (1834-1917) Four dancers performing Fusain on tracing paper pasted on cardboard. Apocryphal signature at the bottom right. 40.3 x 60.2 cm Provenance: - Private collection - Then by descent Related work: Atelier Degas (2nd sale) Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, 11 - 13 December 1918, n°299, repr. p. ½ " Trois danseuses évoluant ". Charcoal on paper. 64 x 89 cm. A copy of a certificate of authenticity issued by the Degas Archives will be given to the buyer. Degas' fascination with dance first developed in the 1860s, when he regularly frequented ballet, opera and the circus. These performances were an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Degas and he enjoyed drawing the performers as he saw them. By sketching the dancers in movement, Degas was able to study and immortalize the highly stylized poses of classical ballet. He was equally interested in the informal world of backstage rehearsals and paid particular attention to the dancers' preparatory work. Degas approaches the subject in a completely new way: he does not represent famous star dancers or successful shows. He seeks to retranscribe the essence of the dancers, in their positions, their complexity, beyond their personality. A demanding draftsman, Degas then finds a way to inventory the infinite resources of the human figure. He tirelessly analyses the rhythms and tensions of the body and thus creates an unlimited vocabulary of poses. None escapes the artist's penetrating eye, whether in rehearsal rooms or on stage. Quatre Danseuses évoluant is a fine example of Degas' ability to capture moments of intimacy outside of the meticulous representations of ballet. He adopts a supple and freely applied line, whose spontaneity reflects the liveliness of the movement and the grace of the dancers. At the end of the 1880s, Degas worked essentially with charcoal drawing on larger formats than the traditional study sheets. He