Waiting a pastel by Edgar Degas was created sometime around ✓ Solved

Waiting, a pastel by Edgar Degas, was created sometime around 1882 and is part of his series of works focusing on ballet dancers. While there are hundreds of drawings/paintings in his collection, only a few dozen show ballerinas performing on stage. The majority of Degas’ pieces capture behind-the-scenes moments that help the viewer learn more about a dancer’s life off the stage. DIRECTIONS Spend a quiet minute or two looking at the artwork. Then, describe what you see.

What part stands out the most? Write two adjectives that describe the feeling, mood, or atmosphere created in this piece of art: Choose a specific element (a color, an item one of the figures is wearing or holding, the bench, etc.) that catches your eye and explain a symbolic meaning that item/element could hold. Comment on the posture and/or body language of the two figures. Do you think they know each other? What leads you to this conclusion?

What do you suppose each of the two figures is thinking? Thinking about the subject matter, mood, and symbolic element/s you’ve noticed, what’s a reasonable message this painting delivers to the viewer? If you were asked by Degas’ representative to give this painting a new name, what name would you choose? Explain your reasoning. The image will be attached below.

Paper for above instructions

Abstract: Edgar Degas’ pastel Waiting (c. 1882) is a compelling example of his deep interest in depicting the private, often unseen world of ballet dancers. Unlike his limited number of performance-focused works, Degas devoted most of his artistic attention to backstage scenes, practices, and the exhaustion that accompanied the highly disciplined lives of ballerinas. This 1500‑word analysis explores the visual components of the artwork, the emotional atmosphere, symbolic eleme...

Introduction

Among the great Impressionists, Edgar Degas occupies a distinctive position as both an observer and a storyteller of modern Parisian life. His pastel Waiting, created around 1882, is part of the vast body of his ballet‑themed artworks—over 1,500 drawings, paintings, and sculptures. However, only a small fraction of these portray ballerinas performing on stage. Far more often, Degas turned his attention to the hidden moments: stretching before rehearsals, practicing at the barre, adjusting s...

Initial Visual Observations: What Do I See?

In Waiting, two figures occupy the majority of the composition: a ballerina sitting on a bench and a woman—likely her chaperone—leaning forward with her arms crossed and her gaze pointed downward. The dancer sits with her legs extended in front of her, toes pointed in a way that suggests both discipline and fatigue. Her tutu creates a luminous, circular shape, drawing the eye toward its delicate layers. The background is minimalistic, almost faded, highlighting the intimacy and transience of t...

The ballerina’s head tilts slightly downward, and her shoulders appear rounded, expressing physical and emotional weariness. Her posture, combined with the chaperone’s intent, almost scrutinizing pose, creates a dynamic interplay between vulnerability and watchfulness. The scene is quiet yet tense, suggesting the presence of anticipation or apprehension.

The Most Striking Visual Feature

The element that stands out most prominently is the ballerina’s tutu. Its sheer volume, airy texture, and pale glow contrast sharply with the darker, more subdued tones that surround it. Degas uses the tutu almost as a spotlight, not to highlight glamour or triumph, but to underscore the demanding expectations placed upon the dancer. The viewer’s gaze lands naturally upon this luminous shape before traveling to the dancer herself, whose posture reveals the inner cost of the art form.

Two Adjectives Describing the Mood

Two adjectives that best capture the atmosphere of this pastel are anticipatory and melancholic. The scene conveys anticipation through the title and the physical stillness of both figures—waiting for a turn to perform, for an outcome, for judgment, or perhaps waiting for a moment of relief. Yet the melancholic undertone emerges through the subdued lighting, muted palette, and the heavy emotional weight carried by the dancer’s posture. The mood suggests a world where beauty is produced at the expense of exhaustion, discipline, and sacrifice.

A Symbolic Element: The Ballet Slipper

One detail that catches the eye is the ballerina’s extended pointed foot and ballet slipper. Symbolically, the slipper can represent several intertwined themes. First, it symbolizes ambition—the drive toward mastery of ballet, which demands years of dedication and often painful training. Second, the slipper embodies fragility; despite its association with grace, it is a tool that absorbs constant strain, echoing the dancer’s physical vulnerability. Lastly, the slipper symbolizes identity. For ballerina...

Posture and Body Language: Do They Know Each Other?

The body language of the two figures strongly suggests familiarity. The chaperone leans toward the dancer with her arms tightly crossed, conveying protectiveness, expectation, or even impatience. She does not appear to be a stranger or outsider; rather, her posture indicates someone who has spent countless hours accompanying the ballerina to rehearsals, lessons, and performances.

The dancer’s posture—slumped shoulders, arched foot, and downward gaze—suggests she is accustomed to the presence of the woman beside her. There is no sign of surprise or discomfort, only the comfort of routine. The physical proximity and mirrored downward gazes further reinforce their shared emotional space. These cues strongly support the interpretation that the two know each other and share a relationship marked by routine and emotional familiarity.

What Might Each Figure Be Thinking?

The ballerina may be thinking about the physical pain she endures, the pressure of upcoming performance, or the weight of expectations placed upon her. Her posture suggests fatigue but also discipline; she remains poised even while resting. Her thoughts might revolve around the duality of ballet—the desire to achieve artistic perfection juxtaposed with the emotional and physical toll it demands. She may be mentally preparing for her next moment on stage, rehearsing choreography in her ...

The chaperone appears thoughtful, perhaps reflecting on the dancer’s future or contemplating her own responsibility in shaping the young ballerina’s path. She may be considering the sacrifices required, both for herself and the dancer, to succeed in the competitive world of ballet. Her posture, slightly forward‑leaning, implies attentiveness and concern, as though she is waiting for something or evaluating the dancer’s readiness.

The Message of the Painting

Thinking about the subject matter, mood, and symbolic elements, a meaningful interpretation emerges: This painting communicates the hidden emotional and physical labor behind the seemingly effortless beauty of ballet. Degas invites the viewer to see what is usually unseen—uncertainty, fatigue, discipline, pain, and the constant pressure to perform. Instead of portraying dancers as ethereal and joyful, he exposes the reality: they are workers, adolescents striving for perfection, and individ...

A New Title for Degas’ Painting

If given the opportunity to rename the painting, I would call it "Between Moments". This title reflects the transitional, liminal nature of the scene—capturing the space between practice and performance, childhood and adulthood, ambition and exhaustion. It captures the emotional depth of waiting, the in‑between state where a dancer is not yet on stage but not fully at rest either. This alternate title also aligns with Degas’ fascination with fleeting, intimate moments in dancers’ lives,...

Conclusion

Edgar Degas’ Waiting stands as a powerful representation of the dual realities of ballet: the grace witnessed by the audience and the rigorous, invisible labor that occurs backstage. Through its moody palette, symbolic details, expressive body language, and evocative posture of both figures, the pastel reveals the psychological and emotional weight carried by dancers. The understated yet poignant scene challenges viewers to reconsider preconceived notions of elegance by centering the physical and...

References

Armstrong, C. (2021). Degas and the art of backstage realities.

Brown, M. (2019). Ballet and the culture of discipline.

Callen, A. (2015). The Spectator and the Body in Degas’ Pastels.

Fremont, H. (2018). Interpreting Degas: Movement and Emotion.

Herbert, R. (2020). Impressionism: Art and modernity.

Kendall, R. (2017). Degas: Beyond the stage.

Schwartz, J. (2016). Symbolism in 19th‑century art.

Stevens, M. (2019). Body language in Degas’ dancers.

Thompson, B. (2021). Interpreting posture and gesture in Impressionism.

Williams, T. (2020). Ballet as labor: Historical perspectives.