Edgar ___, “The Ballet Class” artist - NYT Crossword Clue

Introduction

This clue is a classic fill-in-the-blank style, testing a solver's knowledge of famous figures in art history. It provides a first name and a well-known work to guide you to the artist's surname. For those with a basic familiarity with the art world, this is often a welcome and straightforward entry point into a puzzle.

Clue Analysis

The clue, "Edgar ___, 'The Ballet Class' artist", is structured to be as direct as possible. It gives two key pieces of information:

1. First Name: Edgar
2. Famous Work: "The Ballet Class"

Your task is to identify the last name that connects these two facts. The blank ___ explicitly asks for the surname. This is a trivia-based clue with no wordplay involved.

Thinking Approaches

There are a few ways to tackle this clue:

1. Direct Recall: The most common path to the solution is simply knowing the artist. The name Edgar, paired with any mention of ballet in art, often immediately brings one specific Impressionist to mind.

2. Keyword Association: If the name isn't coming to you, focus on the keywords. Think: "famous painter" + "ballet". The artist in question is overwhelmingly the most famous for this subject matter, making him the prime suspect.

3. Leveraging Crossings: If you're stuck, don't hesitate to work on the intersecting clues. Getting even one or two letters for the five-letter answer can be enough to jog your memory. For instance, if you get a D in the first position and a G in the third (D_G__), the answer might click into place.

Background Context

Edgar Degas (1834-1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his paintings, sculptures, prints, and drawings. While he is identified with the Impressionist movement, he preferred to be called a realist. He is especially renowned for his depictions of dancers; more than half of his works depict ballet dancers.

"The Ballet Class" is not just one painting but a subject he returned to often. The most famous version, housed at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris, shows a group of young dancers at the end of a lesson. His work provides a candid, behind-the-scenes look at the life and labor of dancers, rather than just the polished final performance.

Conclusion

This clue is a staple of crossword puzzles because it draws from a pool of general cultural knowledge that is considered fair game. The combination of a famous first name and a signature work makes it an accessible and satisfying clue to solve for many.

Hints

1. Hint 1: The artist is a key figure in the Impressionist movement.
2. Hint 2: This French artist is particularly renowned for his depictions of dancers.
3. Hint 3: His last name is often associated with paintings and sculptures of ballet scenes.
4. Hint 4: The artist's full name is Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas.

The answer is DEGAS.