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A lithograph and a painting by Degas depict Mademoiselle Degas performing at the Café des Ambassadeurs. The lithograph shows her on stage with her hands raised, while the painting portrays her preparing to start her performance. Degas uses light to highlight her face and create a spotlight effect. Mademoiselle Degas was a popular performer and the few women in Degas' work who were not anonymous. The artwork reflects the urbanization and changing social lives of Paris at the time. Degas' use of broad brushstrokes and dark colors draws attention to Mademoiselle Degas. The artwork conveys the passion and identity of the performer. A small lithograph sculpt sits in a secluded corner of the mass-temporary Degas-Menet exhibit. It is mounted at eye level on a pale purple wall in a dark room, illuminated by a small spotlight right above it. On the other side of the corner sits another Degas depicting a similar scene. The two pieces seem to be isolated in their own corner, forcing an association between the pieces. The lithograph of Mademoiselle Degas at the Café des Ambassadeurs serves in the painting called The Singer. Both pieces explore the same scene, Mademoiselle Degas performing at the Café. However, the presentation is drastically different, but first, who was the infamous subject? Marne de Marseille Degas made her debut at the Café des Ambassadeurs in 1875, and experienced her greatest fame between 1875 and 1885. Executed during this period, the present works portray the performer at the height of her Parisian success. In her time, Degas was renowned for her wildly gestural performances. This can be seen in the sketch, when she has her hands closed and seems to be bowing. It is less obvious in the painting, but you can see a white highlight under her face, which makes it seem as if she is on a stage and there is a spotlight pointing up at her. It is subtle, but her posture also indicates that she is singing. She has one arm stretched out and seems to be sticking her chin up. A museum-goer who declined to record it pointed out Degas' use of light to place a spotlight at the bottom half of her face, which makes it clear that she is on stage, which might not be otherwise obvious from this piece. The use of light is very typical of the Impressionist style that was popular in France at the time. It is also worth noting that Mademoiselle Becaille is one of the few women in Degas' work that was not anonymous. Most of the women in his works were prostitutes, whose identities never revealed. It is very significant that he titled the work after her. She was well-loved and very popular at the time, which made her the perfect subject for an artist. Degas portrayed her intimately in this sketch. She has her bowing at the end of her performance, she has her hands raised dramatically, and a small smile graces her face. There is dark shading and shadows all over the rest of her skin, save for her face, which seems to be glowing. In the painting, she looks away from the audience with a shadow over her eye, very preparing to start her performance. She maintains a small smile. It is a display of her passion and who she really is outside the performance. It focuses on the artist rather than the world around her. This was also a common motif in the Impressionist world. He wanted to portray her and her life and her work. The painting also reveals a common theme in Paris at the time. France at this time was going through a rapid urbanization. This was coupled with people looking for entertainment outside the home and more animated social lives. French fashion is also seen in the lithograph. She wears a dress with a bow and complex folds in the lithograph in the painting, giving insight to the rise in fashion and the development of her personal style. Going back to Degas and the Impressionist influences in his work, the first thing that jumps out to the viewer is the broad brush strokes used in the painting. He uses darker colors, which are muddled together. This takes away focus from the background and refocuses the viewer onto Mademoiselle Beca. In the lithograph, the background is dark and there are no distinct objects in the background. The slight burr on the surface seems to resemble the moon in a body of water. However, it is hard to tell. But the viewer knows that it is nighttime and outside of the café, the moon may be the only source of light. The café in contrast is brightly lit with numerous sources of light, from the chandelier to the lamps represented by the orbs. His use of light is also reminiscent of the Impressionist style. In the lithograph, the light is white on a marked circle. As I mentioned before, in the painting, the light is used to make it seem as if she has a spotlight on her. Everything else is shattered, which again draws the viewer back to the center of attention when she is Mademoiselle Beca. Although these pieces depict the same woman performing the same menu in different mediums, the meaning of which is conveyed is the same.
