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Degas
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Edgar Degas Edgar Degas was an inspiring Parisian painter who lived in the nineteenth century. He was one of the original artists defining Impressionists art. He painted everyday things. He painted ballerinas rubbing their ankles and rehearsals for a ballet performance. He would paint “women et toilette,” women combing their hair or drying off after a shower. He also did a few landscapes, however, the hallmark of Degas art was world of theatre, dance and music (www.Gardens of the Sunlight-Edgar Degas 1). It is hard to talk about his pieces chronologically because many overlap. Today, even though he is not around, he still may be one of the most inspiring artists in the world. Edward Degas was born on July 9, 1834 in Paris. His father was a wealthy banker and his mother descended from French nobility. She was born in New Orleans. His mother died when he was thirteen. People speculated he never talked about his mother after her death because it hurt him too much. When he was younger he spent many hours in museums, theatres, and concert halls. He received an education at Lycee Louis le Grand in Paris. He took an art class there where he received many honorable mentions. It was also at school where he formed a close relationship with Ludovic Halevy. Ludovic Halevy was also from upper middle class society and would become Degas’ influential life long friend. Despite Degas’ father’s love for the arts, especially Renaissance painting, Degas’ father did not want him to become a painter. In 1853 Degas’ father sent him to law school. Even there Degas would doodle instead of concentrating on his studies. Degas would visit the studios of artists, many of which were his fathers friends and frequent the Louvre. At age eighteen and a half Degas received permission to copy famous artists paintings from the Louvre. In order to develop their own skills, nineteenth century artists copied paintings by the old masters, study their drawings and technique (www.metmuseum. org /explorer/Degas/Html/life. Html 1). It was when Degas was in these places that he met Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. Ingres was a world-renowned painter. After leaving law school Degas spent 1854 through 1859 in Italy studying art while staying with family. Degas was familiar with Italian art before his trip. In the nineteenth century there were no art schools and most painters went through apprenticeship with a master. Degas became apprentice to Lois Lamothe, who was one of Ingres’ more advanced students. As a result of his contacts with the Italian masters he produced paintings on historical subjects, “genre scenes” and began to focus more on color and movement. The most famous genre scene is The Bellelli Family, an oil work on canvas (c. 1858-1860). Pictured are his aunt, her daughters and her husband. In the painting it shows the unhappiness between the husband and wife. The wife in the picture is in mourning as her father recently passed away (Degas’ grandfather). It is speculated that the man in the framed drawing behind her is her deceased father. The work also shows Degas’ use of asymmetrical compositions, a style he learned from studying photos of Japanese art. Degas admired the asymmetrical compositions and the concentration of surface pattern of the Japanese art. His paintings reflect these influences. Degas often cut out parts of the images in his paintings. For example, in this painting the dog’s head was cut out of the picture and only the backside was showing. While in Italy another important friendship Degas made was when he met Gustave Moreau.
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