Edgar Degas, and his Unique Vision
"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see." Edgar Degas
And what did Degas make others see? Ballerinas!
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| Two Dancers on a Stage, Edgar Degas, 1874 |
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| Edgar Degas, Self-Portrait, 1857 oil on paper, mounted on canvas |
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vision helped change the way the world looked at art in the impressionist Period.
Degas was born in 1834 and by his late 20s he had shifted from historical paintings to depicting original observations in his everyday life. He went to racetracks and painted horses and their riders, in modern-day scenes. He began to paint women at work, milliners and laundresses. Mlle. Fiocre in the Ballet La Source, exhibited in the Salon of 1868, was his first major work to introduce a subject with which he would become especially identified, ballerinas.
In many subsequent paintings dancers were shown backstage or in rehearsal, emphasizing their status as professionals doing a job. Degas began to paint cafe life as well. He urged other artists to paint "real life" instead of traditional mythological or historical paintings.
Studying real life, Edgar Degas touched upon controversial topics. This concept is shown, so intriguingly, by this painting, The Absinthe Drinker, 1876. Painted in oil on canvas, 1876 ( 92 x 68 cm, 36.22 x 26.77 in).
In its first showing in 1876, critics marked it as ugly and disgusting. It was put into storage until an 1892 exhibit where it was booed off the easel. It was shown again in England in 1893, where it sparked controversy.
The two figures in this painting are a French Actress, and an artist, bohemian. They are sitting at a cafe in Paris. In front of the woman sits a glass of Absinthe. The woman in the painting was derided as a whore and the entire image was seen as a blow to morality and the degradation of society due to absinthe.
One of the original titles to this painting was Figures at Café, which seems a much less controversial title. One can only imagine how unexpected the controversy would be for Degas.
The painting is now appreciated and loved in the Museum d'
Edgar Degas continued to share his unique vision until his death in 1917 at age 87. And blessed us with 1165 paintings. And approximately 1,500 oil painting, drawings, pastels and studies dedicated to the subject of dance.
Edgar Degas continued to share his unique vision until his death in 1917 at age 87. And blessed us with 1165 paintings. And approximately 1,500 oil painting, drawings, pastels and studies dedicated to the subject of dance.
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| Dancers in Pink, Edgar Degas, 1880-1885, oil on canvas |
