When Cameron told me he was whisking Liz to propose beside Degas' ballerina at the Met, he meant it (aka degas-and-a-ring). We spoke for days about how it would go down.

Cameron thought would be quick and dirty, or would it? They arrived at Elizabeth's favorite sculpture*. I had perched myself like a tourist on a bench. And I lay in wait.

Upon declaring yes, albeit very calmly, he slipped the fiery orb on her finger. We all strolled the Met together, snapping at points of interest, and taking it all in. We dipped into a corner café at 1000 Madison Ave for their first engaged espresso. Cameron even shared he bought the ring on his birthday, which tells you what kind of guy he is; sweet, kind, thinking of others. Certainly a planner. 

"He was acting really weird but I had no idea why." Liz smiled. "I never saw it coming."

Degas Ballerina

Mentioned in "Degas_and_a_Ring" Blog Post

Edgar Degas (19 July 1834 – 27 September 1917). Né Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas (pronounced [ilɛʀ ʒɛʁmɛ̃ ɛdɡɑʀ dœˈɡɑ]). Naturally, he was a French artist famous for his work in painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing. And he is regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism. Although he rejected the term he preferred to be called a realist.

Degas is superb draughtsman. He is especially identified with the subject of the dance. And over half his works depict dancers. Dancers as a subject display Degas' mastery in the depiction of movement. Similarly do his race courses and figurative studies. Furthermore, his portraiture is considered among the finest in history.

Although his ambition was to be a history painter for which he was rigorously trained, in his thirties he changed course. Hence, by bringing the traditional methods to contemporary subject matter, Degas became known truly as a classical painter of modern life.

Most noteworthy, the Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer is a sculpture begun c. 1880 by Edgar Degas. As a result, the bronze subject is a young student of the Paris Opera Ballet dance school. She is a Belgian ballerina named Marie van Goethem.