where they do not state the proportions, but first of all the gesture which strikes them.  In these drawings by Degas all the lines follow the impulsion of the thought.  What one sees first, is the movement transmitted to the members by the will.  The active part of the body is more carefully studied than the rest, which is indicated by bold foreshortenings, placed in the second plane, and apparently only serves to throw into relief the raised arm or leg.  This is no longer merely exact, it is true; it is a superior degree of truth.

[Illustration:  DEGAS

THE DANCERS]

These pictures of dancers are psychologic documents of great value.  The physical and moral atmosphere of these surroundings is called forth by a master.  Such and such a figure or attitude tells us more about Parisian life than a whole novel, and Degas has been lavish of his intellect and his philosophy of bitter scepticism.  But they are also marvellous pictorial studies which, in spite of the special, anecdotal subjects, rise to the level of grand painting through sheer power of draughtsmanship and charm of tone.  Degas has the special quality of giving the precise sensation of the third dimension.  The atmosphere circulates round his figures; you walk round them; you see them in their real plane, and they present themselves in a thousand unexpected arrangements.  Degas is undoubtedly the one man of his age who has most contributed towards infusing new life into the representation of human figures:  in this respect his pictures resemble no one else’s.  The same qualities will be found in his series of women bathing.  These interiors, where the actions of the bathers are caught amidst the stuffs, flowered cushions, linen, sponges and tubs, are sharp visions of modernity.  Degas observes here, with the tenacious perfection of his talent, the slightest shiver of the flesh refreshed by cold water.  His masterly drawing follows the most delicate inflexion of the muscles and suggests the nervous system under the skin.  He observes with extraordinary subtlety the awkwardness of the nude being at a time when nudity is no longer accustomed to show itself, and this true nudity is in strong contrast to that of the academicians.  One might say of Degas that he has the disease of truth, if the necessity of truth were not health itself!  These bodies are still marked with the impressions of the garments; the movements remain those of a clothed being which is only nude as an exception.  The painter notices beauty, but he looks for it particularly in the profound characterisation of the types which he studies, and his pastels have the massiveness and the sombre style of bronze.  He has also painted cafe-scenes, prostitutes and supers, with a mocking and sad energy; he has even amused himself with painting washerwomen, to translate the movements of the women of the people.  And his colour with its pearly whites, subdued blues and delicate greys, always elevates everything he does, and confers upon him a distinctive style.