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Edgar Degas
Paris, 1834-1917
Degas was the eldest child of a wealthy Parisian family. He soon abandoned his Law studies at the Sorbonne in order to dedicate himself to painting. In 1855 he entered the studio of Louis Lamothe, a pupil of Ingres, where he acquired a solid academic training. From 1856 to 1859 Degas travelled in Italy, copying the work of the Renaissance masters; on his return he settled permanently in Paris where he dedicated himself to painting a wide range of subject-matter based on the life of the modern city which Paris had become.
Although he was connected with the Impressionist group and took part in seven of their eight exhibitions, Degas was in a way an anti-Impressionist. He saw himself as a Realist painter and his admiration for Ingres's finished draughtsmanship was evident in all his work. In addition, Degas pricipally focused on the study of the human figure and in contrast to the Impressionists was never interested in either landscape painting "en plein air" or in capturing changing atmospheric conditions. Nonetheless, he shared with them the influence of the new technique of photography and of the recently discovered Japanese prints, as well as an interest in capturing movement. Like the Impressionists, Degas was particularly interested in the reality of the daily life his own social circle; the Opéra, the café-concert and the race course were his main sources of inspiration. Degas brought to painting a highly original compositional and iconographic approach, depicting a new vision of the secular world. He avoided the traditional compositional structure and instead used an off-centre composition in which the new laws of instantaneousness prevailed.
Despite being technically brilliant in all media, from 1870 Degas began mainly to work in pastel in which he showed himself outstanding. Pastel, which was so fashionable during the eighteenth century, had fallen into disuse until it was rediscovered by the Impressionists. It opened up new possibilities for Degas and allowed him to sharpen his representation of movement and the instantaneousness of his scenes.
Lemoisne, P. A.: Degas et son oeuvre. 4 vols., Paris, 1946-1949.
Loyrette, H.: Degas. Paris, 1991.
Pickvance, R.: Degas 1979. Exhibition catalogue National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1979.
Pickvance, R.: Degas. Exhibition catalogue Fondation Pierre Gianadda, Martigny, 1993.
Valery, P.: Degas. Dance dessin. Paris, 1928.
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