Dance Foyer at the Opera is a result of Degas’ studies of Japanese prints. He adopted the asymmetrical grouping shown in this work, where the central area, which would traditionally have been the focal point of the painting, is empty, as though in anticipation of the dancer’s progress into it.

The romance of the ballet is poignantly captured by Degas. His innovative composition, skillful drawing, and perceptive portrayal of movement is uniquely his own. Degas also depicted social settings such as racecourses, cafes, and music halls. A profound influence on later artists, Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec, Degas made sketches from living models to capture their spontaneity, later completing the paintings in the studio.

Degas’ lifelong devotion to the ballet as an artistic subject began at about the time of this painting (1872), and Dance Foyer at the Opera was certainly his earliest large-scale work in the genre.

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