Art is continuously evolving. Art movements often reflect what society is underdoing during its creation. Impressionism is often considered the first modern movement in painting. Impressionism was developed in Paris in the 1860s originating from artists who were rejected from the official, government sponsored exhibition called the Salon. Artists from the Impressionism movement are known as the Impressionists. Several well-known Impressionists are Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas and August Renoir. These artists decided that they could no longer wait for their work to be accepted by the Salon. They wanted to display and receive compensation for their work. The artists collected money together so that they would be able to rent a studio …show more content…
Degas frequently attended both operas and ballets in Paris. He began to sketch what he saw around the 1860s. Degas gives the viewer a very intimate and personal view of the dance studio. The way in which Degas paints the dance studio gives the impression that one is looking directly into the studio. Degas uses several different techniques to give the viewer the idea that he or she is actually at the dance studio. He paints the image at eye level which helps to convey that you are watching the ballerinas rehearse. He also achieves this through his use of color and lighting in the painting. Degas uses very different colors in each section of the room. He uses a light blue on the left side of the wall. The right side of the wall is not visible in the painting. He uses white to color the ceiling, while using a brown to give the effect of having wooden floors. The use of white on the ceiling creates more depth in the painting. Degas uses the lighting on the floor to direct the viewer straight towards the back of the painting. The painting also appears to have some asymmetry which is unlike anything that was produced at this time. The emptiness in the right hand corner furthermore accentuates the bright colors which he uses on the ballerinas. The mirror which is depicted on the left-hand side of the painting stands out because of the contrast of the black frame around the mirror and the light blue walls. This effect by Degas allows him to draw your eyes to the different sections of the painting. As you look in the mirror, you will see the reflection of a window which Degas creates an image of an urban city. This image in the mirror not only adds depth to the painting, but further emphasizes the urban and modern scene that Degas is trying to