Lena Rivera
Edgar Degas was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker who gained prominence as part of the Impressionist group. While he is now considered one of the most innovative artists of his generation, influencing the likes of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, Degas did not initially find fame when he started painting. In fact, his first exhibition at the Salon in 1865, 'Scene of War in the Middle Ages', attracted little attention. It wasn't until the late 1880s that Degas was recognised as a major figure in the Parisian art world, and he became financially secure enough to be selective about exhibiting and selling his work.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Birth and death | 19 July 1834 – 27 September 1917 |
| Birthplace | Paris, France |
| Occupation | Painter, sculptor, and printmaker |
| Art movement | Impressionism, Realism |
| Training | Copying Old Masters, academic training at the studio of Louis Lamothe |
| Influences | Ingres, Delacroix, Japanese prints, Daumier, Gavarni, Manet |
| Famous works | The Bellelli Family, The Daughter of Jephthah, Young Spartans Exercising, Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, Ballet Scenes, The Fallen Jockey |
| Period | Late 1850s – 1912 |
| Exhibitions | Salon (first in 1865), Impressionist Exhibitions (first in 1874) |
| Groups | Impressionists |
| Friends | Manet |
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What You'll Learn
Degas's early years as a copyist
Edgar Degas was born in Paris, France, on July 19, 1834. He displayed an artistic inclination from a young age, turning a room in his home into an artist's studio by the time he was 18. However, his father expected him to pursue a career in law, and Degas enrolled at the Faculty of Law of the University of Paris in 1853. But he soon gave up on his legal studies to pursue his passion for art.
Degas' early years as a copyist began in earnest when he travelled to Italy in July 1856, where he spent the next three years studying the works of the Italian masters. He filled notebooks with sketches and copies of frescoes and oil paintings by artists such as Giotto, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Titian. He also drew inspiration from a wider range of artists, including Anthony van Dyck and Frans Snyders. During this period, Degas studied and mastered the techniques of high, academic, and classical art, developing a rigorous drawing style and a respect for line that would remain hallmarks of his work throughout his career.
Upon his return to France in 1859, Degas continued his copyist work at the Louvre Museum in Paris, where he had first started making copies as a young man. He remained an enthusiastic copyist well into middle age, reinforcing his academic art training by copying Old Master paintings. In the early 1860s, he began to transition from copying to creating his own works, with his early independent paintings being portraits and historical paintings.
Degas' early years as a copyist played a pivotal role in shaping his artistic style and technique. His deep respect for the old masters and his admiration for artists such as Ingres and Delacroix influenced his own compositions and use of colour. Degas' rigorous drawing style and attention to line, honed during his copyist years, contributed to his reputation as one of the finest draftsmen of his age.
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His first exhibition at the Salon in 1865
Edgar Degas was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker who was prominent in the Impressionist group and widely celebrated for his images of Parisian life. He is now considered one of the most complex and innovative figures of his generation, influencing Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and many other leading figurative artists of the 20th century.
Degas first exhibited in the Salon of 1865, presenting a painting titled "Scene of War in the Middle Ages", or "War in the Middle Ages", executed in pastel. This work attracted little attention, and it was only after his transition to contemporary subject matter that he began to gain recognition.
Degas exhibited annually at the Salon for the next five years, signalling a shift in his artistic focus. In 1866, he exhibited "Scene from the Steeplechase: The Fallen Jockey", which marked his growing interest in modern themes. This work revealed Degas as a painter of the racecourse and of the most modern aspects of Parisian society, treated in an original manner.
Degas's early career was marked by a focus on historical paintings and portraits. During his time in Italy from 1856 to 1859, he studied and copied works by Renaissance masters such as Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian. Upon his return to Paris, he began work on several history paintings, including "Alexander and Bucephalus", "The Daughter of Jephthah", and "Sémiramis Building Babylon".
It was not until the late 1860s that Degas began to shift towards contemporary subjects, exploring racecourse scenes, ballet, and women at work. By the 1870s, he had become disenchanted with the Salon and joined the Impressionists, exhibiting with them from 1874 to 1886. During this period, he produced much of his greatest work and played a leading role in organizing the exhibitions.
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Degas's time in Italy
Edgar Degas, born in Paris in 1834, travelled to Italy in 1856, where he remained for three years. During his time in Italy, Degas immersed himself in the painting and sculpture of antiquity, the trecento, and the Renaissance. He stayed with relatives in Naples, and later worked in Rome and Florence, filling notebooks with sketches of faces, historic buildings, and landscapes. He also made copies of works by Renaissance masters such as Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian. However, he often chose to copy details that caught his attention, such as secondary figures or heads, rather than the entire altarpiece.
Degas was related to minor aristocracy in Italy, and his family was prosperous enough to send him to a leading boys' school, the Lycée Louis-le-Grand, where he received a classical education. During his time in Italy, Degas made the first studies for his early masterpiece, "The Bellelli Family", while staying with his aunt's family in Naples in 1858. He also produced drawings and paintings that combined a figural style and palette reminiscent of Poussin with an eye for realist detail, as seen in his work "The Old Italian Woman".
Upon his return to France in 1859, Degas moved into a Paris studio and continued working on "The Bellelli Family", intending to exhibit it in the Salon. However, the painting remained unfinished until 1867. During his time in Italy, Degas developed a deep respect for the old masters, and his style reflects this influence. He also began to experiment with different media and techniques, laying the foundation for his innovative and influential artistic career.
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His early works and subjects
Edgar Degas was born in Paris, France, on July 19, 1834. He was the eldest son of a Parisian banker. Degas began his formal academic art training by copying Old Master paintings in Italy, where he spent three years (1856–1859), and at the Louvre. He developed a rigorous drawing style and a respect for line that persisted throughout his career.
Degas's early independent works were portraits and history paintings. An example of the latter is The Bellelli Family (c. 1858–67), a portrayal of his aunt, her husband, and their children. Degas also painted several other history paintings, including Alexander and Bucephalus and The Daughter of Jephthah in 1859–60; Sémiramis Building Babylon in 1860; and Young Spartans Exercising around 1860. In the early 1860s, he began to paint scenes from modern life, starting with the world of horse racing. By the end of the decade, he had turned his attention to the theatre and ballet.
Degas exhibited at the Salon for the first time in 1865, when the jury accepted his painting Scene of War in the Middle Ages, which attracted little attention. Although he exhibited annually in the Salon for the next five years, he submitted no more history paintings. His Scene from the Steeplechase: The Fallen Jockey (Salon of 1866) signalled his growing interest in contemporary subject matter.
In the 1870s, Degas's subject matter included Jewish themes, as seen in his 1879 painting Portraits at the Stock Exchange. He also painted scenes from the opera and ballet, such as Rehearsal of the Ballet Onstage, exhibited at the Third Impressionist Exhibition in 1877. Degas was one of the earliest collectors of Japanese art in France, and his work was influenced by the trend of off-centre framing and asymmetry common in Japanese prints.
Degas is especially associated with the subject of dance, with more than half of his works depicting dancers. He is also known for his images of Parisian life, including laundresses, cabaret singers, milliners, and prostitutes. Ballet dancers, racecourse subjects, female nudes, and portraits were among his primary subjects. His portraits are notable for their psychological complexity and portrayal of human isolation.
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Degas's association with the Impressionists
Edgar Degas is often regarded as a prominent member of the Impressionist group. However, despite his long association with the Impressionists, Degas himself preferred to be called a realist. His work differed from that of the Impressionists in many ways, including his focus on urban subjects, artificial light, and careful drawing. Degas also did not paint en plein air, as many Impressionists did.
Between 1874 and 1886, Degas and the Impressionists mounted eight art shows, known as the Impressionist Exhibitions. Degas took a leading role in organizing these exhibitions and showed his work in all but one of them, despite his persistent conflicts with other members of the group, particularly the landscape painters such as Monet. During this time, Degas produced much of his greatest work and became a major figure in the Parisian art world.
Degas's mature style is distinguished by conspicuously unfinished passages, even in otherwise tightly rendered paintings. This style has been attributed to his failing eyesight, which also led to his creation of nothing new after 1912. At his death in 1917, about 150 deteriorating clay and wax sculptures were found in his studio.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Edgar Degas was not famous when he first started painting. In fact, when he exhibited at the Salon for the first time in 1865, his painting attracted little attention.
By the late 1880s, Degas was recognised as a major figure in the Parisian art world. He had become financially secure and could be selective about exhibiting and selling his work.
Degas' early independent works were portraits and historical paintings. He also travelled to Italy in 1856, where he stayed for three years, filling notebooks with sketches of faces, historic buildings, landscapes, and copies of frescoes and oil paintings he admired.
Degas developed a rigorous drawing style and a respect for line that he maintained throughout his career. He was also known for his focus on urban subjects, artificial light, and careful drawing, which distinguished him from other Impressionists.
