The Orchestra of the Opera

The Orchestra of the Opera
Artist: Degas
Oil painting on canvas; Size: 56.5x46.2cm; Musee d'Orsay, Paris.

The idea for the painting, executed between 1868 and 1869, arose in part out of a desire to portray his friend Desire Dihau, the bassoonist in the foreground. It can even be considered a group portrait, given that the face of the composer Emmanuel Chabrier is also visible, although barely, in the box. This was the first painting Degas devoted to the orchestra, but also the first to depict dancers, a subject in which he was to show increasing interest.
As in The Absinthe Drinker (L'Absinthe) , Degas uses an unconventional framing, which makes it look as if the group of musicians continues outside the picture, but what is most striking about this composition is the contrast between the members of the orchestra, illuminated by a light from above that contributes to the definition of their figures, and the ballerinas on the stage, caught in the strong source of light underneath, which renders them evanescent.