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What does a dancer make of Degas?
Former prima ballerina Darcey Bussell CBE is Patron of the RA's Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement. Here, she discusses the artist's special understanding of dance technique and picks out some of her favourite works in the exhibition.
The exhibition's co-curator Jill DeVonyar is herself a former dancer.
"Not many art historians have been dancers in prior lives so it gives me some added insights into Degas's ballet works and a particular appreciation for their accuracy," she explains.
"In terms of the dancers' physiques, their steps, how they were executed, the idiosyncrasies of dancers when they're resting and also the actual exercises and movements that they performed on stage - it's done with tremendous accuracy.
"Degas acquired great knowledge about ballet the longer he became engaged with it."
Hear more from Jill DeVonyar and co-curator Richard Kendall in the video below.
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All comments on this post - (1 comment)
I am so excited to be coming to see the Degas exhibition on the 4th October. Degas is my favourite painter by a very long chalk and his pictures were the first that brought me to love painting at an early age. To see such a large collection of his works in one place and for the first time is a matter of great moment for me.
Posted on: September 30, 2011 12:36 PM by Hilary Minor