Book Description
Ballet dancers and late nudes constitute one of the peaks of nineteenth century art. Both are images which were made famous by Edgar Degas. Contemporaries described Degas' nudes in terms of excited horror; "Crouching, gourd-like women fill the bathtubs...Who are these women? Whores or housewives?" Nobody knows because of the manner in which Degas chose a distinct method to paint these women. Instead of dramatizing the figure's nakedness, Degas discreetly allows her to carry on with her essentially private activities, unobserved and thus, uninhibited. It is this "keyhole" depiction that this book captures.