Little Girl Carrying Flowers in her Apron

Edgar Degas greatly adored showcasing endless paintings and portraits of ballerinas throughout his work. He is most commonly known for these pieces as they're the ones that allowed him to rise to fame. Some of his most prominent work includes Dancers In Pink And Green, Three Ballet Dancers, and Blue Dancers.

These stunning paintings illustrate the beauty of the female body, alongside the grace and form they hold while consumed in dance. The painting Little Girl Carrying Flowers In Her Apron veers away from the classic ballerina paintings Degas commonly produced, yet still holds a common theme showcased throughout he artist's work. The young girl is dressed in a beautiful white dress with red detail. Degas became immensely known for his ability to depict fabrics in endless detail as if the viewer can feel it. A similar feeling is felt through the material on the young girl's dress as the viewer can spot the endless details. This is most prominently shown near the bottom of the dress where the girl's multiple layers of chiffon fabric meet. The view can spot the transparency through the thin lace like fabric falling towards the girl's knees.

This fabric is also showcased as ever so light as the young girl holds the outer layer within her hands. She does so in order to hold small flowers in the fabric. The viewer can spot red, white, and pink hues coming out of her skirt. Based on the leg structure of the girl holding it towards her knee, it seems as if she is posing for the viewer. Yet, as the viewer looks onto her face, it's quite evident that the clear character is Degas usually portrays aren't exactly there. Instead her facial details merge together as one, with no prominent characteristics. The reason why this is most likely based on the fact that Degas did not base the piece on an actual girl. Instead, the Portrait seems to derive from his imagination.

The artist wasn't quite able to put her facial characteristics together as they weren't based on an actual individual. The masterpiece instead is based on an overall idea Degas had in his head that he felt the need to translate into paper. The other interesting element to notice is the year the piece was based in during the early 1860's. This is near the onset of the artist's career and most likely reflects his limited knowledge and skill in all realms of art. Later on it becomes quite evident that Degas is well aware of portraying facial structures on his muses. Yet, in The Little Girl Carrying Flowers In Her Apron, it seems that Degas is unable to perfectly find his own Impressionism style while depicting once face. He later developed this skill throughout his work.

The little girl's dress is covered in small white ruffles near her chest that also fall down her shoulder. Alongside, two small ribbons line her shoulders in the same fabric that lines her waist. The stunning touch throughout the work is the small flower head band that the young girl wears on her head. This is a wonderful element to add to the piece as it accessories her attire perfectly to match. Degas does not focus much on the background as he swiftly fills it with cold black tones that merge into an orange near the floor. The final interesting element to note is a small whirl of black string near the girl's feet. It is unknown what exactly this fabric is as it lays near the young girl.