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| Edgar Degas French 1834 to 1917 |
A Brief History 1834 Born in Paris, Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas 1853 Graduated from the Lycee Louis Le Grand with a baccalaureat in Literature & turned his room into an artist studio Attended the University of Paris, studying law & eventually left because of bad grades. 1855 Met artist Jean Ingres & enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, following Ingres style. 1856 Travelled to Italy where he stayed for 3 years copying the works of Renaissance artists & became an accomplished classical & history painter. 1859 Returned to France but still copied the works of the old masters. 1864 Met artist Edouard Manet & influenced by his works his subject changed. Degas began depicting horses, women at work & most famously, dancers. 1865 1st exhibition at the Salon in Paris showing painting Scene of War in the Middle Ages, but did not receive much attention. 1870 Was enrolled in the National Guard during the Franco Prussian war & diagnosed with sight problems. 1872 Travelled to New Orleans & stayed with his family whom he began painting, producing The New Orleans Cotton Exchange, the only painting ever to be purchased by a museum during his lifetime. 1873 Returned to Paris. 1874 Became involved with the Impressionist movement. 1874 To clear his fathers debts after his death he was forced to sell his house & the art collection he had inherited. For the 1st time he was solely dependant upon selling his works of art. Worked until 1912 when his house was demolished. Died in 1917 Edgar Degas, although preferred to call himself a realist, is known as one of the founding members of the Impressionist movement. In the beginnings of his career he became an accomplished classical artist & as his style evolved he applied the historical methods he had learnt to depict more contemporary subjects. Degas never married, believing that an artist could have no personal life. After the Dreyfus Affair, political scandal revealed his antisemitic views he regrettably lost many Jewish acquaintances and became a very isolated artist. Remembered as an Impressionist, an influence that lead him to a change from dark colours to more vivid with bold brush strokes, his work differed from theirs. He often painted from unusual view points, in many different styles using both oil paints & pastels & compositions that were influenced by his collection of Japanese prints. However in later life his works became more abstract using the methods of the Impressionists. Degas had a keen interest in the way dress could reveal a persons social standing & his primary subject was the figure. His portraits were considered to be among the finest in history, however his most famous works & the majority are the depiction of dancers. As well as painting, he is known for his printing,drawing & sculpture, the latter only being discovered after his death & never meant for exhibition. Through out his career Edgar Degas was subject to both praise & criticism, but his skill & style influenced many other artists including Mary Cassatt & Jean Louis Forain in the years to come & his work is now displayed worldwide. |
| The New Orleans Cotton Exchange 1873 |
| At the Races 1877 - 80 |
| Ballet Rehearsal 1873 |
| Scene of War in the Middle Ages 1865 |
| The Blue Dancers 1898 - 99 |