Edgar Degas’s Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, or La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans, remains one of the most iconic and debated sculptures in art history. First unveiled at the sixth Impressionist exhibition in Paris in 1881, this work, singular in Degas’s publicly exhibited sculptural oeuvre, has captivated audiences for over a century through numerous bronze casts made posthumously from the original, unique wax figure. However, its initial reception was far from celebratory.
When the Little Dancer Aged Fourteen debuted, it was met with a wave of critical disapproval. Critics, while acknowledging the sculpture’s undeniable realism and revolutionary approach, largely condemned it as ugly. This harsh judgment, however, underscored the very aspects that make the Little Dancer so compelling and historically significant. Degas’s innovative use of mixed media was central to the controversy and the sculpture’s impact. He daringly combined a wax statuette with real clothing – a linen bodice, muslin tutu, and satin ballet slippers, originally even including a wig of real hair. This unprecedented combination blurred the lines between sculpture and reality, challenging traditional artistic norms.
Beyond its technical innovation, the Little Dancer Aged Fourteen was revolutionary in its subject matter. Marie van Goethem, the young model, was not an idealized figure from mythology or history, but a working-class student of the Paris Opera Ballet. The “petits rats de l’opéra,” as these young dancers were known, came from humble backgrounds, often daughters of laborers and laundresses, much like Marie, whose father was a tailor and mother a laundress from Belgium. This nickname, “opera rats,” hinted at both their quick, scurrying movements on stage and the less glamorous realities of their lives, marked by poverty and vulnerability. These young ballet students, striving for artistry and a better life, were also susceptible to exploitation, becoming targets for wealthy male patrons. Degas, with remarkable sensitivity, captured this “terrible reality,” as described by contemporary critic Joris-Karl Huysmans. The sculpture embodies a poignant tension: a fourteen-year-old girl caught between the demanding world of ballet and the harsh social realities of 19th-century Paris. Despite her precarious position, both physically – with her posture suggesting the rigorous demands of ballet training – and psychologically, the Little Dancer exudes a quiet dignity. Her chin is raised, her gaze focused, even as her arms are pulled back in an uncomfortable stance, reflecting a struggle for self-respect amidst challenging circumstances.
The Little Dancer Aged Fourteen stands as a pivotal moment in the history of sculpture. Degas’s radical embrace of diverse materials and techniques to achieve his artistic vision paved the way for future generations of sculptors. He dared to depict a contemporary, working-class subject with unflinching realism and empathy, moving beyond idealized or allegorical themes. In doing so, Degas masterfully articulated the complex and often uneasy relationship between art and life, leaving behind a work that continues to provoke thought and emotion, solidifying the Little Dancer Aged Fourteen‘s place as a truly groundbreaking masterpiece.
