As you probably know, Edgar Degas (Paris, 1834-1917) painted the classic dancers of Paris' Opera with extraordinary freshness. The painting above is one of the many he did. Its small size demonstrates the skill and talent the artist had at 36.

The dancer in the center is waiting for the right note to begin dancing. The sprinkling can (used to moisten the resin to oil the cords of the instruments) and the violin box are details Degas would repeat many times in his paintings.

Although Degas belonged to a time when most artists would paint outdoors, he preferred painting inside and was fond of depicting these young girls during rehearsals, stretching and shows, demonstrating his fascination towards movement.

For his paintings, Degas would first make many sketches and then, back in his studio, he would carry out the masterpiece.

With time, his vision deteriorated, he began to suffer from photophobia and found it hard to distinguish between colours. This is why his palette became so much more saturated, to be able to pull them apart. His hues turned intense, specially the reds. 
This difficulty made him abandon oils and turn to pastels.

As his lost of vision progressed, his lines became bolder and less precise. He stopped trusting his eyes and turned to his hands, using them to define shapes. As a result, he became a sculptor... Although he never forgot his dancers...

Keep reading... "Males de Artistas. Enfermedad y Creación," by Omar López Matos, 2006,  Buenos Aires, Grupo Maorí.

To see... "Degas and the dancer," a 1998 TV-movie.
To explore with children... A special MET Museum presentation to get to know Degas' work.