Editorial Reviews
A great artist offers every young ballerina an invitation to the dance.
The dance paintings of Edgar Degas are beloved around the world. For the first time, here is a book that reveals the intriguing world of ballet dancers behind the scenes-as shown exclusively through the life and work of Degas.
Observing the young students, called petits rats, Degas discovered that ballet training is much like creating art: it takes hard work and practice. As the "little rats" repeated their steps, Degas drew their poses again and again, for like the ballerinas, he was determined to achieve perfection. More than 30 Degas paintings and drawings capture each step of the journey from little girl to prima ballerina in this absorbing picture-book biography.
Customer Reviews
Much better than Cem Altinel's review suggests,
2007-11-05
by Kerry Smith (Toronto, Canada)
The copy I saw didn't show evidence of poor color separations, nothing that I could detect at any rate...I especially appreciated the degree of attention paid to Degas' drawings...some publishers seem to think that finished paintings are the only things worth reproducing in color. Next paycheck, I'm buying this one! I also thought that the reviewer's crack about a typically rough American approach was uncalled for (and I'm not an American). Ever hear, for example, of Yale University Press?
Dissapointment,
2007-10-17
by CEM ALTINEL
This book has neither fulfilled my expectations on Degas nor provided his most distinguished paintings. The dance theme is not properly supported with the paintings. Additionally the quality of colour separations is very poor. I have also found the page designs unsatisfactory. A typical rough American approach to European Art.
A review of the BOOK....,
2006-01-04
by J. Arnesen (Norway)
I see the other reviewer has reviewed AMAZON's delivery service and not the actual book... Which is a pity. Because the book is truly gorgeous and an amazing source of knowledge to those who's interested in Degas. It has an incredible amount of picture documentation, as well as tons of interesting written material. It shows in particular how Degas to some extent understood the world of ballet so well he was able to correct the petite ballet rats if they showed an imperfect technique...
It also displays much interesting info about the two old Parisian opera houses Rue Peletier (destroyed in a fire) and Palais Garnier (still existing and in use).
And last, but not least, it shows Degas's various motifs, techiques and ideas. I love this book most of all the arts book I have, and though sligthly expensive I found it to be worth every penny.