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Degas is not my favorite sculptor, but I do really like his work and I am fascinated by the fact that he was not even known as a sculptor during his life. While alive, he displayed just one piece - Little Dancer Aged Fourteen (La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans). It was called many things at the time, mostly very negative. Yet, today, well over a hundred years later, it's one of the most recognized and liked works of figurative sculpture in the world.

At the time many people assumed that after the horrible reviews of the Little Dancer, that Degas stopped sculpting. Nothing could have been further from the truth. When Degas died, they found dozens of sculptures in his studio, none of which had ever been seen except by his closest friends and, of course, his models. The original wax of the Little Dancer still exists (it was sold at auction in 1999 for over $12 million), as well as twenty-seven lost-wax bronzes made from it. To this day, museum reproductions of the little dancer are among the most popular reproductions sold.

Here is a picture of one of the bronzes, the one at the Musee D'Orsay:

Here is Degas' preparatory sketch (sorry, couldn't find a bigger copy):

It was a different world 100 years ago. There are, as I said, 27 casts of the Little Dancer in museums and collections around the world, each "dressed" using different fabric atop the bronze. At D'Orsay, they also have sketches and a nude bronze maquette that Degas did in preparation for the final Little Dancer sculpture. The story goes that by modeling for Degas the young dancer was able to continue dancing lessons which she wouldn't have otherwise been able to afford because she came from a very poor family. It's silly, but I like the story. I like to think that she got to continue dancing. My daughters both dance, and they love it and would be crushed if they had to stop because there wasn't money.

But, it's a deal that could not be made in this country now, at least not openly and legally.

Though I generally like very polished, finished sculptures, there's something about these rougher early versions of the little dancer that I really like. The sketch has very strong lines and captures the essential forms perfectly; it amazes me when an artist can capture the complex using simple lines. The maquette is much less polished than the final piece, but still has a lot of the same power.