This week, we have…

• A fun fact inspired by Chronogram

• Answers to last week's games

• Reader survey

Behind the dreamy veneer of Degas’ paintings

When you picture ballerinas, you likely imagine girls in fluffy pink tutus, flouncing around wood studios with mirrors and balance beams, or stretching along the floor. While the fundamentals of ballet haven’t changed much since its invention in 15th century Italy, much of the popular image of the art was shaped by the works of painter Edgar Degas (Chronogram answer #721). Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas in Paris in 1834, Degas is credited as a founder of the Impressionist movement, although he identified as a realist. His many paintings of ballerinas were responsible for bringing dance to art museums and art history books. By treating the subject matter as art, he gave dancers a legitimacy that society did not afford them at the time. 

Many ballerinas were young, female, and poor, often working grueling hours to support their families. They were also subject to exploitation from rich aristocrats who patronized the ballet. Rather than portraying the glitz and glamour of on stage ballerinas, Degas painted them behind the scenes, with a realist’s eye for the sometimes seedy underbelly of the ballet world. Similarly, he also painted laundresses, milliners (hat makers) and other members of Paris’s lower class. This was all in line with his interest in portraying the harsh realities of modern life, with compassion rather than rose-coloured sentimentality, as was the trend at the time. 

From a painterly perspective, Degas also created a visual language that captured bodies in motion, such as dancers and race jockeys. He revived the use of pastels, which had fallen out of popularity, and used them to evoke dreamy, hazy feelings in his work. As he aged, Degas developed problems with his eyesight, which led him to paint brighter, bolder, and blurrier works in his later years. Modern day viewers now delight in his bold and textured use of colour, and his work continues to be moving and powerful to this day.

Learn more: CNN

Trivia

Answers to last week's games

Monday, March 17 to Sunday, March 23.

Linxicon

The following are the shortest paths from last week:

• #399 clinical → clinic → market → trade

• #400 steal → theft → misfortune → unfortunate → unfortunately

• #401 provider → package → ship → float

• #402 corporation → company → position → beside → besides

• #403 those → options → selection → interview

• #404 temperature → summertime → during → while

• #405 radical → revolutionary → spicy → cuisine → dining

• #406 Play now!

Elemingle

• #54 Neptunium

• #55 Uranium

• #56 Francium

• #57 Promethium

• #58 Nickel

• #59 Copernicium

• #60 Berkelium

• #61 Play now!

Forgeous

Play Forgeous for Mar 24