Thread by @BarbieReports

1/The Parisian #ballerinas painted, drawn & sculpted by #Degas were young, poor & wretched souls. Exploited & used, the youngest were known as ‘les petit rats’. Wealthy men, called ‘abonnés’, paid subscriptions for backstage access to them & ‘privileges’. #RefuseToBeUsed

2/ Abonnés, the powerful & wealthy male subscribers who paid for backstage ‘access’ (often sexual) to ballerinas in #Paris, can be seen in many paintings. #Degas, also an #abonné, used & exploited the young girls for his art, discarding them when no longer of artistic use.

3/#Misogynist #Degas reportedly said “women invented the word ‘suffering’”. What a lovely man. Not. Remember that when looking at the beautiful works of art he created. Remember the miserable existence of the exploited & abused #ballerinas of #Paris.
#arthistory #impressionism