Home/Symbols/Watering canWatering can SymbolismPractical labor behind grace; the workmanlike means that make dancing possible (dampening floors for traction)Common ThemesThe modern lens: urban life & speedClass distinction & status displayMimesis vs. abstraction (truth vs. artifice)Lasting vs. fleeting (ephemerality)Craft, skill, and techniqueThe gaze & being looked atGender as performanceEveryday life as artDignity of work vs. alienationSurveillance & controlArtworks Featuring This SymbolThe Ballet ClassEdgar Degas (1873–1876)<strong>The Ballet Class</strong> shows the work behind grace: a green-walled studio where young dancers in white tutus rest, fidget, and stretch while the gray-suited master stands with his cane. Degas’s diagonal floorboards, cropped viewpoints, and scattered props—a watering can, a music stand, even a tiny dog—stage a candid vision of routine rather than spectacle. The result is a modern image of discipline, hierarchy, and fleeting poise.
