July 19
Born Today:
Edgar Degas
Unlike other impressionist painters, Edgar Degas (1834-1917) declined to paint out in the open air, so he ventured indoors to paint dancers in rehearsal, waiting backstage, or taking class. His settings for paintings, drawings, and pastels were casual, most often showing the workaday world of dance production, and his paintings were created in his studio based on photographs, memory, or live models. He also sculpted dancers and his most famous piece is a ballerina wearing a real tutu, later cast in bronze, now located in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
Also Born Today: Dance critic Arnold Haskell (1903-1980) wrote for The Dancing Times publication and authored many books on dance. He also founded The Camargo Society in 1930, and helped to establish the Royal Ballet School. Ballerina Natalia Bessmertnova (1941-2008) danced with the Bolshoi Ballet and was married to the artistic director, Yuri Grigorovich (1927-).
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Movie: Anchors Aweigh released in 1945