68 Artists Magazine June 2020
EXHIBITION WALK-THROUGH
“Degas at the Opéra” at the National Gallery of Art—
which has the third largest collection of Degas’ works in
the world—is organized thematically in eight galleries
and opens with the artist’s works inspired directly by
the Paris Opéra (see Mlle Fiocre à propos of the Ballet
“La Source” and The Ballet from Robert le Diable, both on
page 67) as opposed to Degas’ imaginative interpretation
of the opera.
The next section focuses on his circle of talented
friends, such as the aforementioned librettist seen in Three
Studies of Ludovic Halévy Standing (below) and the pianist
portrayed in Madame Camus (at bottom).The exhibition continues with a
series of paintings focused on Degas’
depictions of performers during
candid moments and in rehearsal
rooms (see The Dance Lesson, pages
64–65, and The Dance Class, page 66).
Several have settings inspired by the
practice rooms of the original Paris
Opéra house on the rue Le Peletier,
which was destroyed by a fire in 1873.
“Degas preferred the original opera
house to the one built to replace it, the
Palais Garnier,” says Jones. “He found
it too gilded, even gaudy. All of the
paintings in the exhibition are from
Degas’ observations or memories of
the original Paris Opéra house.”
Although Degas didn’t have much
interest in documenting full perfor-
mances, he was clearly captivated by
the public spaces and various vantage
points in the opera house, and the next
section showcases these types of paint-
ings: looking up at the proscenium,
looking downstage left from the
wings, or looking up from the main
auditorium to the balcony (see Woman
in Loge, opposite).
Finally, the exhibition ends with
a section devoted to Degas’ painted
fans of the 1860s (see Spanish Dancers
and Musicians, opposite), which he
created not only as decorative objects
and fashion accessories for female
opera attendees but also as a device
for exploring semicircular composi-
tions à la Japanese prints, of which
he was an avid collector. Eight of
those fans are on view, as is a series
of Degas’ panoramic frieze paintings
that he began in the late 1870s as fur-
ther compositional experimentation.
All of the works on display adver-
tise Degas’ genuine love of being
inside the four walls and inner circles
of one of the greatest opera houses in
the world. On this, the 350th anniver-
sary of the Paris Opéra, “Degas at the
Opéra” honors the house’s historic
legacy while shining a spotlight on
one artist’s unrivaled ability to cap-
ture authentic observations of the
people, places and passing moments
in opera that moved him most.
“Degas was the great realist in the
sense that he cared most of all about
truth,” says Jones. “Even if everyBELOW
Three Studies of
Ludovic Halévy
Standing
ca 1880; charcoal on
tan laid paper,
21 ¹ ⁄ ₁^6 x16⅛
NATIONAL GALLERY OF
ART,WAHINGTON;
COLLECTION OF MR. AND
MRS. PAUL MELLONBOTTOM
Madame Camus
1869–70; oil on
canvas, 28⅝ x36¼
NATIONAL GALLONAL
GALLERY OF ART,
WASHINGTON; CHESTER
DALE COLLECTION