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The Prima Ballerina by Edgar Degas

Prima Ballerina was painted in Paris around 1876 and represents a Ballerina from an angle of a catwalk behind the scenes. Edgar liked to paint scenes of such dancers and completed a number of noteworthy ballerina scenes. He sought to paint life through a keyhole in a way the audience will never see it.  He was an impressionist which means he used obvious strokes, accurate depiction of light, the experience of time, and human experience ( 1 ). They sought to find a way to show life from a new vantage point. Their works were a radical departure from realism.  This painting is actually not a painting in the traditional sense. It is a crayon type artistic work. This is not the same as the crayons of today but a chalk type instrument. It gives a softer image within the work and is sometimes considered difficult to work with.  When I look at this painting I see an image of backstage life that others may not be familiar with. It is life in motion. The ballerina is engage is