Dancer Looking at the Sole of her Right Foot
Edgar Degas
In his sculptures of dancers, Edgar Degas sought to capture the female body in motion and in strenuous ballet postures. Many of his models were young and impoverished ballerinas at the Paris Opéra. In 1910, one of his regular models, known only as Pauline, described the physical strain of holding this posture. She did this repeatedly over many sessions. Four sculptures and numerous drawings feature this pose.
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