Woman Stretching 1879 - 1920

Curator: Here we have Degas' bronze sculpture, "Woman Stretching," which he worked on sometime between 1879 and 1920. Quite the timespan, isn't it? What strikes you first? Editor: It’s visceral. Raw. Like a snapshot of movement, stopped mid-gesture. I find it unsettling, yet compelling. All that textured bronze—it's hardly idealized. Curator: Exactly! He captured something profoundly human—the fleeting, unglamorous moment. What is also so striking about Degas is his rendering of the female form, the sheer work rendered on this object. Bronze is usually the realm of historical heroes, not this ordinary act. Editor: And the bronze itself! So industrial, such a shift from marble. This woman is solid, anchored, born of fire. It speaks of the foundry, the process—almost as important as the finished piece. The way Degas refused to smooth out the clay’s impression shows so much interest in his material labor! It speaks volumes. Curator: The modern sensibility! The ballet dancers are lithe and graceful, yes, but this figure presents a certain truthfulness, a dedication to modern women's realities. But, if the materials highlight modern labor, then aren't we faced with thinking through her studio practice: what was she like, what movements did she work to represent? How does she represent an ordinary woman, as we are arguing, when the woman we are analyzing remains mostly unnamed? Editor: It brings to light that uncomfortable tension: even when artists tried to break from classic tropes, these very same questions often return! And even with its unresolved texture, its unfinished feeling, that doesn’t let us escape that he was selling these bronzes to the elite of his time. Curator: An act of tension indeed! It certainly leaves one pondering. Editor: Precisely. It gives me more to think about than it resolves.