Focus on this artwork and discuss the Critics and debates.
Commentators have differed in interpreting the role of race in the painting. On the one hand, Degas does not give Miss La La stereotypical features, and some critics have suggested that he wished to challenge the traditional view of black women. On the other hand, he intentionally lightened the skin color of Miss La La and hid her face, partially obscuring her identity. Art historian Marilyn R. Brown argued that these changes could be a reflection of Degas's anxiety about his own racial identity.There is also a debate about whether Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando is a portrait of Miss La La or a genre painting of the circus. Miss La La is the only figure shown in this painting. Degas did not include any audience or other acrobats, focusing attention on Miss La La and making the painting function as a portrait. However, Degas did not show her face to the audience, making the scene more like a genre painting, in which the identity of the subject cannot be firmly established.
Cirque Fernando genre painting Miss La La