The life and art of Edgar Degas: An Overview of the Artist's life and his Greatest Art Pieces
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The life and art of Edgar Degas: An Overview of the Artist's life and his Greatest Art Pieces Details
Edgar Degas stands as a unique figure in 19th Century French art. His historical inclusion with the group of artists known as the Impressionists would no doubt rankle the artist, described by contemporary author, George Moore, as an “old curmudgeon”.Believing that an artist’s life should be lived free of romantic encumbrances, Edgar never married and remained a bachelor until his death. How much did this influence his work? Looking at Degas’ depictions of women (most famously, his ballet dancers, which he called his “little monkey-girls” and his bathing women), we can certainly extrapolate at least a detached fascination.Degas’ lifelong rejection of close relationships with women may be the key influence in his work, brimming as it is with close examinations of the female body. The sense that he’s an outsider peeping through a keyhole is one the artist, himself, acknowledged. His ballet dancers, far from being the romantic wraiths they’re so commonly depicted as, are workers doing a job. Their physicality is expressed in every detail, but rarely as emblematic of the ethereal beauty we tend to associate with the dance form.A solitary, contentious figure, Degas was a classicist living in a changing world. His dedication to technique, in contrast to the Impressionist School he’s associated with (an association he deplored), is one of the most striking features of the artist’s body of work. Impressive in its scope, yet strangely focused on the very people he banished from his private life – women – Edgar Degas’ art continues to be recognized as foundational to artistic movements in the 20th Century, including modern photography.
Reviews
Author Heidi Reid has elected to discuss the life and influence of the famous artists Edgar Degas and even his most significant paintings with out a single visual image of the artist’s work to act as a guidepost for readers to understand the theories she discusses.Not that the book is lacking in information – it is a very fine treatise on the life and times of Degas. But an art book of images this is not. Heidi divides her chapters into A privileged life, The Impressionist who wasn’t, The secret life of Paris (the painting of ladies at bath are described), and finally The little monkey-girls and an ambiguous interior (the ballet dancers of Degas’ fame),The Conclusion at book’s end best describes the purpose of this book – ‘Edgar Degas, the solitary artist of means, was a figure unique in his time. While it may be said with some confidence that most artists have their quirks, Degas had more than his fair share. But his body of work presents us with a rich and compelling walk through late 19th Century Paris, its women and its artistic culture, as expressed in the rich legacy of Degas’ “little monkey-girls.” I’ve dedicated much of this book to Degas’ relationship with women, because it’s a central theme in his work. It’s probable that this fascination with women stems from the sexual self-denial he practiced in his life. Had Degas married, or had he been a busy bachelor, consorting with ballerinas, singers and the grand dames of the theater, we wouldn’t have produced this vast body of work. No women bathing. No “little monkey-girls” and certainly, no Interior. Because he chose to live his entire life as a single man, not pursuing romantic relationships, Edgar Degas is being written about in 2017. Had that not been the case, it’s most likely he would have continued painting his historical scenes to relax, after a hard day at the legal firm. And there would be no Edgar Degas as we know him. This fascinating artistic figure continues to be a topic of discussion in our times, but not for the reasons most might think. His was a life deliberately chosen. He somehow knew that the solitary lifestyle he lived was the only way to achieve the artistic heights he sought. And for his trouble, Degas’ life ended in isolation, his vision almost completely ruined. He wandered the streets of Paris in search of comfort, to find only the void we all eventually stare into. Standing alone, neither arriving or departing, Edgar Degas lived his life as an observer and documentarian. It was this artist who was to richly influence the art of the 20th Century, including photography. The echoes of his unique perspective live on. It’s given me great pleasure to share my thoughts on Degas, his life and how his personal world infused his canvases throughout his body of work. I believe he had a point – the artist living alone is the artist fully realized. With Degas, it’s clear that artist was a deeply complex person, with internal conflicts we’ll never fully understand, but can certainly see present in his work.’Well written words and concepts and research and social philosophy but sadly lacking in pictures that would have enhanced this book immeasurably. Grady Harp, December 17