Recent Posts
Culture August 4, 2016
Any artist will tell you that the best works of art are those that come alive to the viewer. These are the sculptures, paintings or photographs that produce feelings of cultural reality so well reflected that the viewer feels as if the piece has become part of their surroundings. Every artist hopes to achieve the ability to immerse viewers in their work. The renowned French Impressionist Edgar Degas created this feeling most notably in his collection of dancing ballerinas. Perhaps it was this lifelike quality of Degas’ work that encouraged two members of The Australian Ballet to pose alongside a few of the former artist’s most notable and inspirational masterpieces.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, two dancers, Eve Ferris and Georgia Scott-Hunter, recreated Degas’ iconic scenes with elegance during a media preview for a new Degas exhibition at The National Gallery of Victoria. The temporary exhibition entitled, “Degas: A New Vision” opened on June 24, 2016, and will be open for public viewing until September 18. According to a media release from the National Gallery’s website, the new exhibition offers “the most significant international survey of Degas’ work in decades, presenting more than 200 works which showcase the artist’s talent in a new light.” The exhibition features Degas’ more well-known ballerina scenes as well as some of his lesser-known art experiments with photography and sculpture.
The exhibition’s curator and Degas expert, Henri Loyrette, is also a former museum director of The Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay. In an interview with The Australian, Loyrette describes Degas’ prolific career and artistic collection, which enabled The National Gallery to pull together such a diverse body of work. Loryette explains, “It is an occasion to go back to Degas and look at him in a different way. After working on him for such a long time, and seeing much of his work and reading what has been written on him, he’s never boring… In this way, he is a very modern artist, very contemporary, always a work in progress.”
Since its June debut, the exhibition has earned due praise from reporters and visitors alike. Visitors have already recommended it as a must-see on TripAdvisor, with most reviewers giving the exhibition five stars. Robert Nelson of The Sydney Morning Herald reports, “’Degas: A New Vision’ leaves you with compelling, if sombre, curiosity.”
After its initial debut in Melbourne, Degas enthusiasts and experts in the United States will have the opportunity to view the show at The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas beginning in October of 2016. Be sure to visit The National Gallery of Victoria for more information about Degas and his latest exhibition.
