| Articles by: Artist |
|
|
| Articles by: Movement |
|
|
| Articles by: Painting Name |
|
|
|
|
|
Edgar Degas (19 July 1834 - 27 September 1917)
|
| |
 |
"Only when he no
longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good
things."-Edgar Degas |
|
| |
Edgar Degas was a very
famous French artist known for his paintings, sculptures,
and drawings, during the Impressionism period and was known
as one of the founders of Impressionism. Known for his convincing
portrayal of human figures in contemporary settings, Degas
paintings display excellent use of light. |
| |
|
Hilaire
Germain Edgar Degas's innovative compositions, excellent understanding
of human movements (Ballet paintings), and skillful drawings
contributed in making him one of the masters of modern art
towards the end of the 19th century. |
| |
It would
not be incorrect to say that Degas had a very distinct
style of painting, and all Degas paintings reflect
his deep respect for old master artists. Degas immensely
admired and drew inspiration from the works of Jean Auguste
Dominique Ingres and Eugène Delacroix. He also collected Japanese
art prints and many of his works have been influenced by their
compositional principles. |
| |
|
 Degas
paintings, especially those painted during his youth, were
pictorial of his increasing fondness for abstraction of form.
As a skilled draftsman, Degas was obsessed with human forms
and the work painted during the later years of his life bear
very little resemblance to his early work. However, it's ironic
that these very paintings, those painted towards the end of
life, employ the Impressionism techniques in use of color
and form.
Degas is famous for his horses and
Ballet dancers. Yet, he only started to experiment with
the human form only during the mid of his career. One of his
most famous early works is 'The Bellelli Family' (1859), a
picture that portrays his aunt and her family with great detail.
|
|
| |
 The
late 1860s saw Degas' focus shifted from history paintings
to contemporary life around him. He began painting horses,
racecourse scenes, women at work, and, of course, dancers.
Degas also began painting café life, and urged many
other painters to paint the 'real life' rather than historical/mythological
subjects.
A change in subjects witnessed Degas change his technique
too. Degas paintings became more vivid with bright
colors and the brushstrokes were much bolder. One such example,
'Place de la Concorde', is a fine piece of work especially
as it imparted a sense of movement in still life. The painter's
mature style of painting is also distinguishable by the noticeably
incomplete passages, in otherwise completed renderings. Degas
blamed this on his poor eyesight, and this explanation met
with intense skepticism from his colleagues and critics. | |
| |
|
Degas' interest in painting real life led him to study the ways in which a person conducted
himself in thesociety and he carefully observed his subjects postures, dresses,
countenance, and other personality attributes. By the end
of 1870s, Degas paintings became proof of his mastery
over mediums such as oil on canvas and pastels. His work on
dry medium by application of multiple layers and textures
empowered him to express his thoughts with bright and bold
colors, which is admirable.
Mid 1870s was also the time when Degas revisited etching
and his experiments using lithographs began soon after. His
growing interest in etching led to the demise of details in
his paintings. Yet, with all the stylistic evolution, particular
features of Degas paintings remained the same throughout
his entire life. |
 | |
| |
Degas painted very few landscapes
and those he did were painted from memory. Controversial,
but greatly admired, Degas paintings are the symbols
of a master artisan who worked deliberately with precision
to produce art that was the result of infinite reflections
and experiments. |
| |
"I can only
draw what I see". |
|
