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MASTERS OF ART

Edgar Degas was born to a middle-class family in 1834 in Paris, France. His mother, Célestine, was an American from New Orleans and his father, Auguste, was a banker. As a child, Degas was already a talented painter. In 1855, Degas went on to study at the École des Beaux Arts. After only one year, Degas left the art school to spend three years traveling and painting in Italy. On his return in 1859, Degas worked hard to build up his reputation and soon became an accomplished painter. During the 1860s, he became an important member of the Impressionist movement that included other artists such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, and Alfred Sisley. Degas died in Paris in 1917 at the age of 83. Today, he is recognized as one of the greatest painters of all time.

THE ART OF DEGAS

T he qualities that distinguish the significant creative artist from the talented amateur are not easy to establish precisely. But distinction is usually immediately recognizable, even when the subject matter chosen by the artist is not itself especially attractive or appealing in a conventional sense. Such significant qualities are not essentially, or even primarily, technical, but lie ultimately in the nature and sensitivity, the innate individuality of the artist and his ability to find an effective form in which to express them. Quality differences are unique to each individual and are part of the human condition. It is this quality of distinctive originality that is immediately apparent in the work of Edgar Degas. Of course, it is also important to acknowledge and examine his ability to use those techniques available to him that effectively express his intentions. This study considers Degas’ life, character, and artistic achievement. Since no one lives outside his social and cultural context, the

background to his life will be considered where appropriate and helpful.

The popular Romantic perception of the nineteenth century Parisian artist as a bohemian, given to excesses, living and working in a dingy garret in the back streets of Montmartre, was very different from the milieu into which Degas was born and grew up and which conditioned his future attitudes and behavior. His life, at least in his earlier years, was one of quiet privilege and financial security. He had no need to follow a career, and becoming a painter was born out of an intellectual passion for a cultured, creative life. The driven torment of Van Gogh or the Romantic quest of Gauguin were not for him; indeed, on one occasion, when asked whether he painted outdoors, en plein air , he is reported as replying, “Why would I? Painting is not a sport.” Later in life, he put this view more pungently: “You know what I think of painters who work in the open? If I were the government, 7