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Edgar Degas (1834 - 1917)

Edgar Degas, a leading French painter working at the time of Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet and other Impressionists, was born into a wealthy Parisian family in 1834. Though he would never accept the label of Impressionist, he worked and exhibited and argued with the Impressionists throughout his career, and even invited the talented American painter Mary Cassatt to join the movement.

He entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1855, then studied independently in Italy from 1856-1859. When he returned, he obtained permission to copy in the Louvre, perfecting his draftsmanship and style. He had intended to become a painter of historical scenes, but abandoned this career because, like his fellow Impressionists, he felt a need to paint situations from modern life. He was likely influenced by the painters Gustave Courbet and Edouard Manet, and began to paint scenes from everyday life, especially the racetrack and the theatre.

He is best known for his paintings of people, especially in unguarded, private moments. In order to free himself from the stiff formality of the traditional styles of portraying the human body, he often used daring asymmetrical compositions with odd angles and unusual visual viewpoints. His work gives the impression of great informality, however he composed his pictures carefully.

He differed from the Impressionists by concentrating on composition, drawing, and form instead of light and color. He first exhibited in 1865 with Monet, Morisot, Pissaro, and Renoir at the prestigious Paris Salon.

Between 1873 and 1876, Degas became thoroughly absorbed in dancing as a theme. Again, with his careful attention to composition, and his draftsman's skills, he achieved his desired informality in paintings such as Ballet School, 1876, La Danseuse au Bouquet, 1878, and The Star, 1876-7.

In the 1880 and 1890s, Degas began a systematic study of the female form, painting intimate scenes of women bathing, or drying or combing their hair, such as After the Bath, 1895-1900 and After the Bath, Woman Drying Her Feet, 1886.

His eyesight worsened in later life, though he still continued to work successfully in pastels, monotype and charcoal, perhaps leading Renoir's comment: "Degas painted his best things when he could no longer see." He died on September 27, 1917.

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