The Dance Lesson by Edgar Degas

Edgar Degas, executed in collaboration with Vicomte Ludovic Napoléon Lepic, The Ballet Master (Le maître de ballet), c. 1874, monotype heightened and corrected with white chalk or wash, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Rosenwald Collection 1964.8.1782

The Ballet Master is considered Degas’ first attempt at the monotype medium. To produce this "dark-field" monotype, the artist covered a fresh metal plate with printer’s ink and then removed areas of ink with a rag or tool. Next, using a rolling press, Degas (with the help of his engraver-friend Ludovic Lepic) printed the image on a sheet of dampened paper. Degas highlighted the form of the dancer and much of the line work with either white chalk or wash.