Dancer Holding Her Right Foot in Her Right Hand c. 1900 - 1911

This is Edgar Degas’ bronze sculpture of a dancer holding her right foot, and it looks like the surface of the metal has been through a lot. It’s all mottled and uneven, which seems appropriate for the way dancers work and strain their bodies. What I love about this sculpture is that it shows us the dancer mid-stretch, not some perfect, idealized pose. The texture of the bronze feels really physical, almost like clay that's been squeezed and prodded. Look at the way Degas has rendered the muscles in her leg and back. You can almost feel the tension and effort. The surface is rough, and there are all these marks and indentations that make it seem like Degas was really wrestling with the material, trying to capture the feeling of movement and the way the body holds itself. This sculpture reminds me of Rodin, who also wasn’t afraid to leave his fingerprints on his work, but with Degas, you also sense he is trying to catch something ephemeral, like a fleeting expression. Art isn’t about answers, right? It’s about asking better questions.