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Degas, Painter of Ballerinas: A Picture Book

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Degas, Painter of Ballerinas: A Picture Book

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Overview

Through Edgar Degas’s beloved paintings, drawings, and sculptures, award-winning author Susan Goldman Rubin—in collaboration with The Metropolitan Museum of Art—conveys the wonder and excitement of the ballet world.

Degas is one of the most celebrated painters of the impressionist movement, and his ballerina paintings are among the most favorite of his fans. In his artwork, Degas captures every moment, from the relentless hours of practice to the glamour of appearing on stage, revealing a dancer’s journey from novice to prima ballerina. Observing young students, Degas drew their poses again and again, determined to achieve perfection.

The book includes a brief biography of his entire life, endnotes, bibliography, where to see his paintings, and an index.

“A beautiful, engaging, and informative book . . . it’s hard to find fault with this enchanting book. It’s the perfect gift for aspiring artists and dancers.” —New York Journal of Books

Product Details
About the Author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419728433
Publisher:	Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/16/2019
Pages:	64
Sales rank:	277,264
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	980L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the largest museum in the Western Hemisphere and the world’s most encyclopedic art museum. Founded in 1870, the Museum embraces more than two million works of art spanning 5,000 years of world culture, from prehistory to the present, in all artistic media, and at the highest levels of creative excellence.

Susan Goldman Rubin is the award-winning author of many biographies for young people, including Coco Chanel, Diego Rivera, and Hot Pink. She lives in Malibu, California.

From the B&N Reads Blog

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Editorial Reviews

04/29/2019
From its petal-pink satin binding to its gleaming foiled title and page decorations evoking tulle and twisting ribbon curls, this introduction to Edgar Degas is squarely aimed at readers fond of a certain dance aesthetic. The froufrou design detracts from Degas’s unsentimental drawings and paintings of young dancers known as the “petits rats.” Plainspoken text (“He portrayed their gestures: leaning against a bench, stretching, rubbing their aching necks”) describes the artist’s working process, observations of the dancers, and his sympathy for their hard work, as well as how eyesight troubles led to his sculpted dance works, including the iconic “The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer.” The book closes with a short, serviceable biography and a rich selection of references, including a glossary, a list of galleries holding works by Degas, and a complete list of illustrations. Ages 8–12. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"A beautiful, engaging, and informative book . . . it's hard to find fault with this enchanting book. It's the perfect gift for aspiring artists and dancers."

New York Journal of Books

"This gorgeous book will appeal to artists and dancers alike, and there is enough vetted biographical information to make this useful for research as well."

School Library Connection

"A handsome exploration of an artist's love affair with ballet . . . While ballet lovers will enjoy this glimpse into a 19th-century world (one painting includes Jules Perrot, a noted choreographer), art students will learn much from the exploration of techniques that Degas employed."—Kirkus Reviews

"In this handsomely designed book, prepared in collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art . . . Rubin uses clear, economical, graceful prose to describe the perfectionist master’s life and career, artistic techniques and media, and painstaking approach to craft."—School Library Journal

"A beautiful, engaging, and informative book . . . it's hard to find fault with this enchanting book. It's the perfect gift for aspiring artists and dancers."—New York Journal of Books

"Plainspoken text (“He portrayed their gestures: leaning against a bench, stretching, rubbing their aching necks”) describes the artist’s working process, observations of the dancers, and his sympathy for their hard work."—Publishers Weekly

"This gorgeous book will appeal to artists and dancers alike, and there is enough vetted biographical information to make this useful for research as well."—School Library Connection

From the Publisher

04/01/2019
Gr 4–7—Edgar Degas (1834–1917), a towering figure of French Impressionism, is best known for his closely observed, behind-the-scenes paintings, drawings, and sculptures of Paris Opera ballerinas in classes, rehearsals, and performances. In this handsomely designed book, prepared in collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art (which holds all but two of the volume's marvelously reproduced artworks), Rubin uses clear, economical, graceful prose to describe the perfectionist master's life and career, artistic techniques and media, and painstaking approach to craft. Through narrative and art, readers meet some of his models and sympathize with aspiring young dancers coping with exhausting daily practice. Students also learn that Degas struggled for years with failing eyesight, which was the eventual impetus for his venturing into sculpture. Numerous quotes by and about Degas, and informative captions further enhance this title's portrait of both the artist and his prolific output. Ballet students and non-dancers alike will appreciate the liberal use (and definitions, via text, art, and glossary) of terminology. Elegant design flourishes include a pink-ribbon-like covering of the book's spine and illustrations throughout of toe shoe–like laces in many of the pages' margins. The excellent back matter includes notes, glossary, ballet terms, a list of where to view Degas artworks, and bibliography. VERDICT This title is highly recommended for public and school libraries. Useful for report writers, in art history units, and as supplementary fare for dance students and those preparing to attend a ballet recital and/or a Degas museum exhibit.—Carol Goldman, formerly at Queens Library, NY

School Library Journal

2019-02-06
A handsome exploration of an artist's love affair with ballet.
Rubin returns to a much-loved topic almost two decades after her earlier Degas and the Dance (2002). She describes the artist's preference for painting in a studio as opposed to his fellow impressionists, who loved the outdoor light. How he observed the ballerinas of the Paris Opera Ballet and how he posed them are carefully explained. Rubin also pays particular attention to the various media that Degas employed, from oils to pastels to chalk. She includes information about his failing eyesight and the sculptures he created late in life. A profusion of reproductions, many full-page and all full-color (except when the originals are not), showcases the beautiful attention to detail that Degas cared about so deeply. His dancers are caught in the moment as they adjust their costumes, rehearse, or execute a step, and thoughtful captioning provides helpful interpretation. While ballet lovers will enjoy this glimpse into a 19th-century world (one painting includes Jules Perrot, a noted choreographer), art students will learn much from the exploration of techniques that Degas employed. The inclusion of two glossaries, of art terms and of ballet terms, highlights the book's balance.
Not a complete biography of a painter but a noteworthy study of his most famous genre. (author's note, notes, where to see artworks by Degas, bibliography) (Biography. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews

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