Arabesque
Modeled 1885–90, cast 1919–21
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
54.6 × 61 cm (21 1/2 × 24 in.)
Classification
statuette
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
18901
Art Historical Context
Edgar Degas, a master of Impressionism renowned for capturing fleeting moments of modern life, crafted *Arabesque* between 1885 and 1890. This bronze statuette, measuring 54.6 × 61 cm, depicts a dancer frozen in the elegant arabesque pose—a signature ballet movement symbolizing grace and poise. Modeled during Degas' later years when his eyesight was failing, it reflects his lifelong obsession with ballet dancers, he observed backstage at the Paris Opéra. Cast posthumously between 1919 and 1921 from Degas' original wax sculptures, *Arabesque* exemplifies the transition of his intimate studio w...
About the Artist
Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas · 1834–1917
Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas, born on July 19, 1834, in Paris to a prosperous banking family, was the eldest of five children. His mother, Célestine Musson, a Creole from New Orleans whose father Germain Musson had roots in Haiti, died when Degas was thirteen, leaving his father Augustin and unmarried uncles to guide him. Educated at the elite Lycée Louis-le-Grand, where he earned a baccalauréat in...