Edgar Degas

Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas was a French painter and sculptor. A contemporary of the Impressionists, Degas worked outside of the formal movement preferring to work indoors and was classically trained. He was born in Paris on July 19, 1834 to an upper class family. Degas studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris under Ingres. His subjects include women in intimate occupations such as the bath, racehorses, and he was particularly attracted to the theater. Instead of the colors of nature he observed clothing and decor under artificial light. Thus he replaced the emphatic brushstroke of the Impressionists with a concentration upon line. His compositions were inspired by Japanese woodblock prints and have the dramatic cropping and unusual visual angles characteristic of the masters. In the 1880's Degas began to work in sculpture and pastel when his eyesight began to deteriorate. In his sculpture, as in his paintings, particularly of racehorses, Degas attempted to capture the action of the moment. He was not well known in his lifetime and only achieved his place in modern art after his death on September 27, 1917.

Edgar Degas Images:
Absinth
After the Bath
Ballerina and Lady with Fan
Ballet Dancers
Ballet Rehearsal On Stage
Ballet Rehearsal On The Set
Ballet School
Before the Performance
Before the Race
Before The Start
Blue Dancers
Chevaux de courses
Dance Class
Dance Greenroom
Dancer in Green
Dancers Resting
Dancing Class
Danseuse: port de bras
Danseuses
Ecole de danse
Etude de danseuse I
Etude de danseuse II
L’Entrees des Masques
The Ballet Class
The Dance Foyer at the Opera
The Dancing Class
The Star
Woman Combing Her Hair
Woman Drying Her Neck