Edgar Degas

>Edgar Degas 2005-05-18T02:48:44Z Hadal Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/170.213.132.252|170.213.132.252]] to last version by Etacar11 [[Image:EdgarDegas.jpg|right|150px|Degas]] '''Edgar Degas''' ([[July 19]], [[1834]] – [[September 27]], [[1917]]) was a [[France|French]] [[painter]] and [[sculptor]]. Born '''Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas''' in [[Paris]], [[France]], he was the oldest of five children. Madame de Gas belonged to a French family that settled in America. Fond of his mother, her death in [[1847]] was a deep personal tragedy for Degas. His father, a banker, encouraged his son's artistic inclination. Degas received a classical education at Lycee Louis-le-Grand from [[1845]] to [[1852]], then studied law. Degas' innovative composition, influenced by photography and Japanese woodblock prints called [[Ukiyo-e]] ([[Japonism]]), his skillful drawing, and perceptive analysis of movement made him one of the masters of progressive art in the late [[19th century]]. He is especially known for his paintings of ballet dancers and other women, as well as of [[Horse-racing|race horses]]. Often considered an [[Impressionism|impressionist]], some of his work shows classical and [[Realism|realist]] styles, and other times [[romanticism]]. In [[1852]] he transformed a room of the family home into a studio and worked under the tutelage [[Felix Joseph Barrias]]. In [[1855]] Degas began study at the [[École des Beaux-Arts]] in Paris under [[Louis Lamothe]], a disciple of [[Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres|Ingres]] for whom Degas would retain great respect. However, he found the course unprofitable and too restricting, and preferred independent study in the classical tradition. So, he drew and painted copies of the [[Old Masters|old masters]] in the [[Louvre]], a practice he continued for many years. He travelled throughout Europe to study the prints of [[Albrecht Dürer|Dürer]], [[Andrea_Mantegna|Mantegna]], [[Rembrandt]] and [[Francisco de Goya|Goya]]. [[image:degas.dancingclass.600pix.jpg|left|thumb|250px|''The Dance Class'' (La Classe de Danse), painted [[1874]].]] For three years he lived in [[Rome, Italy]], where his sister also lived. While there he admired the Italian Early Christian and medieval masterpieces, as well as the frescoes, panels, and drawings of the Renaissance masters. In [[1859]] Degas opened a studio in Paris, and painted portraits and historical subjects which were popular with art buyers at the time. He quickly established clients in French art circles and did not experience the financial difficulties of many of his contemporaries. Degas abandoned the historical genre in [[1866]] for several reasons. In [[1862]] Degas met [[Édouard Manet]] who preferred themes of modern life to traditional subject matter of history and religion. Degas also met novelist [[Louis Edmond Duranty|Edmond Duranty]] who passionately believed in realism and wanted to remove the barrier between art and life. Degas frequented [[Café Guerbois]] where many artists associated with [[impressionism]] regularly met. His art of the late [[1860s]] reflects his changing views. He turned to theatre and the [[Horse-racing|racecourse]] for inspiration. The influence of Japanese art and its depiction of figures began to show in his paintings. During the [[Franco-Prussian War]] ([[1870]] – [[1871]]) Degas served in the artillery. He contracted a severe chill during his service, and for the first time had trouble with his eyes. Degas lived with family members in [[New Orleans, Louisiana]] from [[1872]] to [[1873]]. One of the paintings he did in New Orleans, ''[http://www.hayalevi.com/cgi-bin/sanatgalerisidetay.asp?resim=153 The Cotton Exchange at New Orleans]'', garnered favourable attention back in France, and was his only work purchased by a museum (that of [[Pau]]) during his lifetime. [[Image:Degas races.jpg|thumb|300px|''At the Races'', [[1877]] – [[1880]], Edgar Degas, [[Musée d'Orsay]], Paris.]] Upon his return to Paris he opened another studio and concentrated on themes from modern life such as dancers, acrobats, singers and washerwomen. He also rendered female nudes, which, along with dancers, became his favourite subject matter. In [[1874]] Degas' father died, and to pay off the vast inherited debt, he sold some of his art collection. From 1874 Degas sent works to the [[impressionist]] shows (he helped organise the first impressionist exhibition). In [[1881]] he showed ''The Little Dancer of Fourteen Years,'' his only sculpture exhibited during his life. After the last impressionist exhibition in [[1886]], Degas stopped sending works to exhibitions. In the [[1880s]], with his eyesight failing, Degas shifted his talent to [[sculpture]] and [[pastel]], which did not require such acute vision. By the [[1890s]] worked only on large compositions and in [[1908]] he gave up art completely. Ever more reclusive and eccentric, Degas was evicted from his home and a new studio was found for him, but he never settled there. He wandered the streets like a blind [[Homer]]. [[Image:DancingGirl.JPG|left|thumbnail|''Little Dancer of Fourteen Years'']] Famous and revered, Degas died in Paris on [[27 September]], [[1917]] and is buried in the [[Cimetière de Montmartre]], [[Paris]], [[France]]. Degas left more than 2,000 oil paintings and pastels and 150 sculptures. Before 2005, Degas paintings sold for as much as [[United States dollar|$]]16 million. ==External links== * [http://www.biography.com/impressionists/artists_degas.html ''The Impressionists / Degas'' at Biography] * [http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/degas/ Degas at the WebMuseum] * [http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/degas/degas.html PBS on Degas] * [http://cgfa.sunsite.dk/degas/index.html CGFA Degas webpages] * [http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/degas_edgar.html Degas information at artcyclopedia.com] * [http://artchive.com/ftp_site.htm Artchive about Degas] [[Category:1834 births|Degas, Edgar]] [[Category:1917 deaths|Degas, Edgar]] [[Category:Artists|Degas, Edgar]] [[Category:French painters|Degas, Edgar]] [[Category:Impressionism|Degas, Edgar]] [[de:Edgar Degas]] [[es:Edgar Degas]] [[eo:Edgar DEGAS]] [[fr:Edgar Degas]] [[ko:에드가 드가]] [[it:Edgar Degas]] [[he:אדגר דגה]] [[nl:Edgar Degas]] [[ja:エドガー・ドガ]] [[pl:Edgar Degas]] [[pt:Edgar Degas]] [[fi:Edgar Degas]] [[sv:Edgar Degas]] [[zh:埃德加·德加]]