法國巴黎奧賽美術館藏品| Collection of Musee d’Orsay, Paris

這幅畫名為 L'Étoile（星）。我們在舞台上看到一位芭蕾舞演員，舞台燈光閃耀著她和她的表演，竇加以舞者為畫面中主角，刻意追尋光與色的表現。她是足尖的，單腿優雅地保持平衡，並保持著莊嚴的姿勢。她的白裙上有花；她的緞帶從她伸長的脖子上流出來；她頭上戴著一頂王冠。看到自己的表演成功（或許觀眾此刻正在為這位年輕的明星鼓掌），她低下頭，閉上眼睛，甜蜜的享受表演。她感覺自己就像一顆星星，站在了世界之巔，但向左看一眼，我們可以看到，隱藏在窗簾後面的，一個不祥的黑色身影平靜而警惕地站着，窺探着舞者的所有動作，這是年輕舞者的贊助人。
This painting titled L'Étoile (literally The Star) depicts a scene of a ballerina performing on the stage. The young dancer and her performance shine through in the limelight. Centering on the ballerina as the subject of the composition, Degas deliberately captures the expression of light and colour. Gracefully balancing herself on one foot, the young dancer is en pointe while maintaining an elegant pose. Her white dress looks gorgeous with touches of flowers. The character is endowed with an ethereal quality with the ends of the ribbon around her neck floating in the air. Also, she is wearing a clown. The expression of the dancer suggests that she submerges herself in the success of her performance. With her head bent back and eyes closed, she seems to be sweetly enjoying her performance, probably amid thunderous applause from the audience. While the ballerina feels that she is rising to stardom, viewers are alert that to the left there is a figure standing behind the curtain, a silent and cautious onlooker observing every move of the dancer. This man reminiscent a foreboding shadow is the young dancer’s patron.