Degas and the Dance

"Surprisingly, there has never been a comprehensive study of Degas' ballet work in its historical context. Now, in Degas and the Dance, Richard Kendall and Jill DeVoynar place the artist and his work against the backdrop of the Paris Opera, home of the national ballet company. Degas has always been thought of as somewhat detached from the day-to-day life of the dancers he depicted. Kendall and DeVoynar's new research, especially in the Opera archives, reveals that the artist was far more informed about the ballet than has previously been imagined. To an extraordinary extent, Degas' artistic ambitions developed under the roof of the Opera, and his achievements as an artist cannot be wholly grapsed without reference to it.".