Degas' sculpture of The Little Dancer, and Impressionist Paintings of Ballet and Ballerinas in Art.

It is June 2009, and I'm standing in the Musee D'Orsay in Paris with my 14 year old daughter, gazing at a statue of another 14 year old, a little dancer cast in bronze but wearing a tutu of antique tulle, with a faded pink ribbon in her hair. My girl is instantly in love with the slight, boyish figure before her. In a flash, her camera is out, and she is feverishly snapping from all angles. "She's so beautiful, Mum. Look at her skirt - it's real fabric, and her ribbon. And, oh, she looks so sad. Do you think she was uncomfortable standing like that for so long? Mum, can we get a postcard of her?" I nod. Yes, of course. We can get a post card, and a fridge magnet, and a tee-shirt too if you want. And yes, she does look sad. Ballet dancers must work very hard, and I believe this little dancer had a harder time than most.

We move on to the paintings and later we sit in a cafe looking at our photographs and postcards, and the book, in French, about the little dancer.

Marie was a ballet student at the Paris Opéra, where Degas often drew and painted. Degas's first sculpture of her was in a reddish brown wax. The figure was nude to begin with, but. he soon dressed her in clothing made of real fabrics - cream-coloured silk for the bodice, tulle and gauze for the tutu, and silk slippers. He finished his waxwork with real hair tied with a ribbon, and when it was first exhibited, contemporaries were taken aback by the unexpected realism of the piece, and they were moved by this vivid portrayal of the pain and stress of ballet training as endured by such a young girl. For forty years, the wax original stood in Degas' studio, then, after Degas' death, his heirs decided to make bronze casts of it. In these later versions, the models are completely bronze apart from the dancer's gauze tutu and silk ribbon. Less than thirty copies were made, and examples of them can now be seen in some of the world's most prestigious museums.

In February 2009, just a few months before our visit to Paris, the UK art collector and philanthropist, John Madejski, sold one of the bronzes of 'The Little Dancer' at auction. The bids at Sothebys Auction House ran up to an astonishing £13.3 million before the hammer finally came down.

And the little dancer herself? Well her story did not end quite so happily. Poverty prevented Marie from finishing her training, and it has been suggested that she eventually drifted into a life of petty crime and prostitution. It is sad to think that her image is one of the most coveted and valued in the history of art, and yet she herself was destined for a life of hardship and degradation.

Edgar Degas (1834-1917) was one of a group of artists who have become known as the French Impressionists, though he prefered to describe himself as a realist. Although he associated himself closely with the Impressionists, both in his social life, and as an exhibitor, he eschewed their practice of painting 'en plein air', and would often use photographic reference material for his work. The influence of photography can clearly be seen in his many paintings and pastel drawings of ballet dancers at the Paris Opera, and this picture, with it's unusual cropped composition, is a good example. Note the strong diagonal made by the dancers, and the feeling that you are viewing them from a box at the wings of the stage. The footlights illuminate their legs and tutus, yet there is shadow above and behind.

The dancers in this gorgeous oil painting are resting between scenes. They are in full costume, and their rose-pink outfits are a delight. Degas' loose and Impressionistic style perfectly suggests the suppressed excitement and air of anticipation. Once again, the unusual cropping of the picture space hints at the influence of photography.

Strong diagonals in the composition lead the eye to the grey haired dance instructor leaning on his stick as he addresses his students. The dance studio is large and airy, but the girls already appear warm from their exertions and the dancer in the foreground with her back to us, is fanning herself, whilst her seated neighbour is stretching her head back in a pose very reminiscent of Degas's famous sculpture of the little dancer.. There's also a tiny dog peaking around a dancers legs in the foreground. I wonder if Degas put him there for amusement, or whether he belonged to a dancer?

Renoir (1841-1919) and Degas were contemporaries on the French art scene in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and their work was often exhibited side by side, so it is no wonder that they would frequently choose similar subject matter. Renoir's painting of a dancer, completed in 1874 is more posed and serene than Degas' dancers. Her tulle skirt contrasts only slightly with the subtle colours of the background, and only the black choker and the bangle on her left wrist detract from the harmony of the composition.

Willard Leroy Metcalf (1858-1925) was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. A precocious talent, he was fortunate enough to receive one of the first ever scholarships from Boston’s Museum of Fine Art., His restless nature, and love of travel later led him to accept a magazine commission to illustrate articles on the Southwest American Indian Zuni tribe, and he is well-known for the portraits and sketches he completed on a further expedition led by anthropologist Frank Hamilton Cushing.

In 1883, Metcalf's restless spirit took him to France where he studied painting at Paris’ Académie Julian. He formed a friendship with the French Impressionist Claude Monet and for a while acted as a tutor to Monet's children. The influence of the Impressionists is very evident in this delicious painting of Dancers in their dressing room, which was completed in 1885, and is currently in a private collection.

Pierre Carrier-Belleuse (1851-1932) was the son of the famous 19th century sculptor Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse. He studied under Cabanel and Galland at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and first exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1875. An impressive, prolific and versatile artist, his works are frequently reproduced and often appear at auction. This delicate image of a ballerina fastening her shoe is one of many paintings of dancers by Carrier-Belleuse.

This painting by French artist Carrier-Belleuse was completed some 18 years later than the one above it, and I think this shows. The earlier painting is more Impressionistic, whilst this one is very chocolate boxy and reflects a change in artistic taste. My feeling is that M. Carrier-Belleuse was able to adapt to the times, even as a mature artist his work was still evolving.

Auguste Macke (1887-1914) was a German artist, the son of a building contractor. He was born in Meschede, Germany at the tail end of the 19th century, and travel to France and other European countries allowed his burgeoning talents to be exposed to influences as varied as Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Expressionism, and Fauvism. This resulted in a body of work that was often experimental, but always a delight. Sadly this young, promising talent was snuffed out in the very early stages of World War One, when Macke was killed at the front in Champagne.

This painting of the Russian Ballet was completed two years before his death, and it has real freshness and exuberance.

Leon Bakst (1867-1927) achieved fame as a theatrical costume designer. He was a Russian artist, born in Belarus. Originally named Lev Rosenberg, he adopted his grandmother's sir-name as he began to gain prominence in artistic circles. As a close friend and associate of Sergei Diaghilev, he became increasingly involved with the Ballet Russes, and worked on both set and costume design, as well as providing striking illustrations for books and periodicals of the time. His highly decorative style was much admired, and he later also turned his hand to teaching. His most famous pupil was Marc Chagal.