Edgar Degas was fascinated by the modern city and its places of entertainment, notably the opera house, the racetrack, and the circus. In these venues, he sought out unusual perspectives and extremes of movement: the subject of this drawing offered him both.
The Cirque Fernando opened its doors in 1875 in the Pigalle neighborhood, a hotspot for Parisian nightlife and progressive art. Degas lived nearby, as did Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Georges Seurat, all of whom painted pictures of the Cirque Fernando. It was there that Degas watched a famous aerialist known as “Miss La La” in January 1879. Born Olga Brown in 1858 in what is today Poland, this biracial performer toured France and England under a variety of stage names (the Venus of the Tropics, the African Princess) calculated to appeal to European notions of “exotic” beauty. She was a virtuoso performer. Her act included various feats of strength and agility, but its climax involved being hoisted high in the air by means of a pulley, a rope, and a specially fitted dental device. This is the feat Degas portrayed here.
He was so captivated by Miss La La’s performance that he returned night after night to sketch her, producing a series of life studies that culminated in an oil painting, shown at the Fourth Impressionist Exhibition later that year. Each of the studies is inscribed with the date when Degas made it (in this case, January 21, 1879), probably working in black pastel from his seat at the circus and then adding other colors once back in his studio. With its dramatic perspective, glowing palette, and only vague suggestion of Miss La La’s suspension device, this drawing conveys a sense of the soaring, splendid, hands-free effect she achieved in her performances.
- Title: Miss Lala at the Fernando Circus
- Creator: Edgar Degas
- Date Created: 1879
- Physical Dimensions: 46.4 × 29.8 cm (18 1/4 × 11 3/4 in.)
- Type: Drawing
- Medium: Pastel on faded blue paper
- Terms of Use: Open Content
- Number: 2004.93
- Culture: French
- Credit Line: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
- Creator Display Name: Edgar Degas (French, 1834 - 1917)
- Classification: Drawings (Visual Works)
DecorArts is a professional wall art company located in California.
Each of our prints is proudly designed and constructed in the USA, right in our workshop. We are dedicated to delivering the finest quality, craftsmanship, and customer service with each and every order. With giclée printing technology, we are able to provide the best possible quality for the reproduction of fine art masterpieces as well as your personal photos. Our prints capture the subtlest of colors and contrasts, while retaining superb image sharpness.
Want to give the best gift ever? We invite you to browse our Personalized Art Collection, our bestselling collection on Amazon.com. Heartfelt and sure to leave a lasting impression, our personalized artworks are a huge hit at weddings, anniversaries, reunions, and more. Just take a look at the comments left by our happy customers!
We also offer a wide selection of iconic classic paintings -- from Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper to Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night to Hokusai’s The Great Wave of Kanagawa -- all stunningly reproduced with giclée printing technology. Browse our gallery of curated masterpieces, where you’re sure to find your favorites or discover just the right one for your home, office, gift recipient, etc. Have an inquiry? Need some suggestions? Shoot us a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
Giclée Quality Guarantee:
Giclée printing is meant to produce a product at a higher quality and longer lifespan than a standard desktop inkjet printer. The word was used to describe digital reproductions of conventional artworks (painting or drawing) or photographs.
There are at least three basic criteria which must be met in order for the print to be considered a true giclée...
- For giclée printing, the paper or substrate used to actually print the final piece must be acid free and consist of a 100% cotton base.
- Any image that is to be printed as a giclée needs to be created at a resolution of no less than 300 dots per inch (DPI). This is to ensure that the final print has the sharpest detail and lacks any of the fragmentation that can occur with images less than 300 DPI.
- The last step to creating or confirming a true giclée print is the type of ink and printer used. The biggest contrast between a standard inkjet print and a giclée print is that giclées are printed using pigment-based inks rather than the dye-based inks found in lower cost inkjets. Pigment-based inks have a longer life span that can last anywhere from 100 to 200 years without significant fading.
The Quality :
The quality of the giclée print rivals traditional silver halide and gelatin printing processes and is commonly found in museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries.
With Giclée printing technology, we are able to provide the best possible quality for the reproduction of fine art masterpieces as well as your personal photos. Our prints capture the subtlest of colors and contrasts, while retaining superb image sharpness.
- We use real wood (non-MDF) for our canvas stretcher bars
- The canvas depth of of each dimension will be 1.5" thick
All of our canvas prints are gallery wrapped. Your image will be visible in full on the front side of the canvas while the outer edges are either artistically extended or mirrored to wrap over the wood stretcher bars on all sides. Our canvases are hand-stretched over solid wood stretcher bars.
Our canvas art works arrive ready to hang right out the box! We will affix a sturdy sawtooth hanger to the back of your canvas and include in your package: two screws, two nails, a pair of gloves, and a gradienter (small water level to ensure art is hung straight).
Framed:
Our framed arts are specially designed for both classic art and personalized artwork. Choose from a variety of frames for the perfect one to suit the style of your home.
- Mounted on back flannel so as not to scuff your walls
- Artwork arrives READY TO HANG. Hanging accessories come complimentary
Our frames are specifically chosen to complement each artwork. However, we will gladly accommodate if you'd prefer a different frame. Contact us at customerservice@decorarts.com for inquiries.
