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The Art and Times of Edgar Degas


             Impressionists emphasized a differing subject matter than the salon painters of the era. They were interested in the life of the everyday person not that of nobility or religion. In Degas painting above we see the foreground subject the horses and jockeys as well as a buggy (the importance of which will be discussed later). This nouveaux novelty of the Parisian high society was a subject that not only depicted modern society but also showed life in motion, a concept that artists in the impressionist movement tried to depict. Degas spent a lot of time making hundreds of sketches regarding how horses and jockeys moved both as individual units and together. Studying the individual muscles and how they react to various movement, Degas was able to create the most realistic depiction of the horses as they would have seen in real life. .
             The strife towards photorealism due to the invention and increase in popularity of the camera is another point supporting why this painting can be classified as impressionistic. Degas and many of the impressionists took interest "with "instant," unposed photography" according to Eyewitness. "Blurring, unusual juxtapositions , and the accidental cropping off of figures in snapshots created the sense of movement and spontaneity that the Impressionist artists wanted to achieve. Degas was also inspired by the work of Edward Muybridge, whose freeze-frame photographs of humans and animals in motion had revolutionized the depiction of movement in art. We see a clear example of this cropping technique with the aforementioned carriage. In the front righthand corner of the picture, occupying a large quarter of the foreground, lies a carriage with passengers that is partially lost to the area outside the frame. The importance of the slight blurring around the wheels and the missing half of the carriage is that the viewer gets the idea that there is a motion depicting the exiting of the vehicle from the frame of reference.


Essays Related to The Art and Times of Edgar Degas

1. Degas

The Ballet Class is an oil on canvas painting by Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas, and was created approximately in the year 1880. ... The subscribers and chaperones are often visible in Degas" art works. ... Degas was an avid art collector, and he was especially fond of Japanese prints and woodcuts. The influence of the Japanese style on Degas is quite evident in many of his art works. ... On this subject, Degas noted "It is necessary to redo the same subject ten, even one hundred times. ...

  • Word Count: 1296
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Creative Drawing and Contemporary Art and Design

For this reason, I am drawn to, and inspired by, the drawings of Edgar Degas which study the ballet. ... I wanted to feel more freedom, so while I sometimes enjoy focusing and taking a good long look and drawing, at other times I enjoy just flowing around with my hand and drawing what I see. ... It speaks in a voice like no other art form.... In this light, I came across the drawings of Edgar Jansen: "Edgar's style is characterized by flowing lines, subtle colors and a certain casual directness. ... Also, the charcoal was kept on the page as much as possible in order to find lines, s...

  • Word Count: 1768
  • Approx Pages: 7
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3. Dancer Stretching

This quote by Edgar Degas puts into perspective the responsibility of true artists. ... Edgar Degas" use of line is a primary and conspicuous element of this particular composition. ... Edgar Degas had a fascination with the use of color, as did other fellow impressionists. ... It was not unusual or uncommon for him to go to certain ballets and operas up to thirty times! ... Edgar Degas" pastel Dancer Stretching is a wonderful piece from the artist's collection. ...

  • Word Count: 1413
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Edgar Degas: Last Academic or First Modernist

Degas" interest for the new techniques and the foreign art. ... I feel that at that time the meaning of art was changing. Art was becoming a way to please everybody. ... It must be a shocking subject for those times. ... Often times geisha (women entertaining patrons with dance or songs), yujyo (prostitutes) and kabuki actors were modeled in these paintings. ...

  • Word Count: 1380
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

5. France

In ancient times people called Celts lived there. ... The 1600's and 1700's were the age of Baroque and Rococo art, French Classical art, and the Age of Reason.. ... Baroque art is large in scale and very dramatic. Rococo art was smaller in scale and more delicate. ... Some of the most famous impressionist artists are Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas, and Pierre Renoir. ...

  • Word Count: 1594
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

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