The Bow c. 1880s - 1890s

Curator: Look at this fascinating bronze sculpture by Edgar Degas, titled "The Bow," likely created between the 1880s and 1890s. Editor: The figure strikes a pose that is awkward and precarious, yet seems lost in thought. I immediately notice the texture. The rough surface of the bronze contrasts so vividly with the smoothness one associates with classical statuary. Curator: Exactly. Degas employed the medium unconventionally. The sculpture embodies an anti-classical aesthetic that’s deeply impactful; there’s a rawness to the touch that contrasts against smooth or polished methods we might see elsewhere. He disrupts tradition using unconventional material means, defying established modes of creating bronze sculpture. Editor: You said it. And to think, he was also working in wax at this stage; it allows an immediacy lost when artisans rely only upon the foundry’s workers. We are witness here to the artist’s touch—literally! Curator: And notice how the positioning of the supporting rod along the spine isn't concealed. It speaks to his interest in revealing, not concealing, the constructive process, right? In a purely formal reading, its verticality draws attention upward through the bent form. Editor: The base itself is far from neutral, which only deepens this emphasis. A constructed armature meant to hold an unfired clay only becomes an art in itself—what had served practical labor is now given dignity within the viewing frame. Curator: It introduces questions about labor, doesn’t it? Was the dancer of a lower station or working classes, hence unworthy of idealized form? The contrapposto and spiraling lines could suggest that in one regard; his social concerns were never explicit. Editor: Perhaps Degas wanted to challenge these aesthetic expectations around representation themselves and reflect honestly about studio practices—a demystification that could enable different viewing and access points to sculpture itself. What do we learn if our assumptions around materials and labor are upended here? Curator: A crucial question! The unidealized form confronts standard artistic approaches of the era. Editor: Absolutely. The labor, process, and material create more complexity together. They transform not just my own expectations but raise larger queries about seeing itself. Curator: It compels us to rethink our understanding, in light of his bold manipulations. Editor: And gives this figure renewed materiality within the collection here.