1872, Edgar Degas, Orchestra Musicians -- Stadel Museum (Frankfurt)
From the museum label: Degas chose an unusual perspective for this painting: he shows the ballet dancers from one of the orchestra musician's point of view. The painting is an early example of his great interest in the world of opera and ballet. The composition is the result of a gradual process of revision. Though he had begun painting it in 1872, Degas started changing the painting's format by removing and adding pieces of the canvas somewhere between 1874 and 1876 turning the original landscape format into a portrait format. Thus, he achieved an equal presence of music and dance.
1872, Edgar Degas, Orchestra Musicians -- Stadel Museum (Frankfurt)
From the museum label: Degas chose an unusual perspective for this painting: he shows the ballet dancers from one of the orchestra musician's point of view. The painting is an early example of his great interest in the world of opera and ballet. The composition is the result of a gradual process of revision. Though he had begun painting it in 1872, Degas started changing the painting's format by removing and adding pieces of the canvas somewhere between 1874 and 1876 turning the original landscape format into a portrait format. Thus, he achieved an equal presence of music and dance.