After returning to Paris in 1859, Degas turns to historical themes, and one of the works of this series is the picture “Young Spartans, causing a contest of Spartans.” Despite the exact adherence to the installations of academic fine art, the artist has contributed to the plot of observation from modern life.
Thus, the faces of young men and women on the canvas, far from the faces of ancient characters, they are qualitatively drawn, but on the streets of Paris, you could immediately meet teenagers, no different from those depicted in the picture.
This approach to the image of a somewhat stylized plot led to the fact that the figures look angular, and it is hardly appropriate to talk about their similarity with the ancient heroes.
In this work, as well as in the ones created earlier, a thin plastic line comes to the fore, which becomes the primary expressive means. The number of colors here is extremely limited, which made it possible to create a sense of balance, as well as strict clarity.
The work was designed to put it in the Salon, and although Degas worked hard on such paintings, in a few years the historical theme would no longer interest him.
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