Degas at the Opéra, Dancers, 1879

KIMBERLY JONES: Fans were the most definitive symbol of femininity in nineteenth-century France. In the 1870s and beyond, fans developed something of a cult following among artists, who began to explore the decorative potential of the fans. KAYWIN FELDMAN: French artists and their audiences were fascinated by all things Japanese, following two major exhibitions of Japanese art in Paris. Impressionists like Degas depicted Japanese fans in their works and produced fans themselves. The materials Degas used also point to the Japanese influence. Conservator Kimberly Schenck. KIMBERLY SCHENCK: Some of the fans in the exhibition are paint on silk. He would use gouache, which is basically a thick watercolor, and also thin it down into dilute washes. He, in some cases, would add pastel, sometimes wetting the end of the pastel stick to get an intense deposit of pastel pigment. He, in some of the pastels, would use thin washes of metallic paint. KIMBERLY JONES: The variety of media that he uses means that they were a constant challenge. KAYWIN FELDMAN: Here, Degas is clearly inspired by the balanced asymmetry typically seen in Japanese design. Note how the unusual curved format made him think carefully about how to organize his composition. He concentrated figures on one side of the fan, counterbalancing them with emptiness on the other side. KIMBERLY JONES: And as you look at this group of images, you can see just how versatile and varied they really were. KAYWIN FELDMAN: In the fifth Impressionist exhibition of 1880, an astounding fifty fans were exhibited. Degas produced at least twenty-seven in his lifetime.