Edgar Degas began painting as a young boy and turned his bedroom into an artist's studio by age 18. He initially wanted to paint historical scenes but found everyday scenes more interesting. He moved to Paris and became known for his paintings of ballet dancers and Paris nightlife, spending hours studying dancers' movements in dance studios. One of his most famous works is Little Dancer of Fourteen Years, which depicted a dancer at rest in an unposed manner and used real elements like hair, ribbons, and tutus to make the scene feel authentic.

1. Edgar DegasEdgar Degas
French Painter ofFrench Painter of
DancersDancers
1834–19171834–1917

2. Degas began to paint as a young boy. Degas began to paint as a young boy. By theBy the
time he turned eighteen, he had turned his bedroomtime he turned eighteen, he had turned his bedroom
into an artist's studio.into an artist's studio.
 This is a self-portrait heThis is a self-portrait he
painted when he waspainted when he was
21 years old.21 years old.

3. At first, he wanted to paint great
moments in history. He soon realized the
world around him was more interesting.

4. He moved to a studio
in Paris where he
began to paint the
world he saw.

5. He is known for hisHe is known for his
paintings of romanticpaintings of romantic
Paris night-life.Paris night-life.

6. He may be most
well known for his
images of ballet
dancers.

7. During his
lifetime, the ballet
was very popular.

8. People attended
ballet, like we
attend movies
today.

9. Four Dancers, 1900

10. Degas spent many
hours in the dance
studio studying the
way the dancers
bodies moved.
He loved using
pastels for these
studies.

11. He noticed that the practices were more
interesting to him than the performances.

12. He included other
characters at the
studio like the
dance instructors
and sometimes
the musicians.

13. He showed the
girls practicing
hard like
athletes.

14. He showed them in unflattering poses when
they were warming up or in between dances.

15. Some people
didn’t like his
paintings because
they felt he made
the girls look ugly.
How do you think
they look?

16. Degas' Degas' LittleLittle
Dancer ofDancer of
Fourteen YearsFourteen Years, ,
is one of his is one of his
most famous most famous
works. He works. He
wanted to show wanted to show
his dancer at his dancer at
rest and rest and
unposed.unposed.

17. He used a wig out of
real hair to put on the
model.

18. The ribbon was
given to him from
the model, and a
real tutu.
There are 27
copies in
museums all over
the world, each
with a different
tutu.

19. The young The young
dancer that dancer that
posed for Degas posed for Degas
was Marie van was Marie van
Goethem. Goethem.
Though she Though she
never became a never became a
famous dancer, famous dancer,
she always will she always will
be remembered.be remembered.