Fashion, in its essence, is wearable art. Think about the clothes you’re wearing now: someone designed them, manufactured them, advertised them, and then you bought them and combined them into your own look! Here at CF, we’re big believers in this idea: from movies to books to music and more, our posts aim to prove that all creative mediums can inspire one’s clothing choices.

Continuing our series on Fashion Inspired by Art, every two weeks, I’ll feature a piece of artwork and create various looks inspired by elements of the work. This week, we’ll be discussing Edgar Degas’Ballet Rehearsal on Stage. I hope you all enjoy!

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The Dancers: About Edgar Degas and Ballet Rehearsal on Stage

Edgar Degas’ Ballet Rehearsal on Stage (1874) [Public Domain] via Wikimedia Commons

Edgar Degas (1834 – 1917) is considered to be among the founders of Impressionism, although he himself did not like the term. Known in part for his portrayals of dancers, Degas’ unique depictions of movement have been widely studied around the world. His style of painting is loose and soft, though precisely so – although his works appear to be spontaneous in their capture of movement, Degas actually spent countless hours observing the human form in motion.

Ballet Rehearsal, while being one of Degas’ more muted works, does follow his typical sense of composition in that the background comprises much of the scene and great attention is given to perspective. In this work, Degas uses an overhead view to frame some of his favorite subjects — ballerinas. This gives the viewer a sense of looking down upon the scene, as if we are peeking into a dollhouse. This perspective, combined with the somber color palette and loose brushstrokes, creates an air of delicate, feminine features set against a dark, rigid background.