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    Degas
    Degas
    Degas
    Ebook101 pages13 minutes

    Degas

    By Sandra Forty

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Edgar Degas began as a classical painter of genre history scenes and died as one of the greatest and most innovative names in French art—although as with so many other artists, he did not receive a great deal of recognition in his lifetime. Along the way his style changed completely from strict academic formalism to near-abstract scenes of contemporary Parisian life. His primary subject was the human form, especially that of women, and he also loved the vibrancy of horse racing. Degas is usually labeled an Impressionist because he was friendly with many of the Impressionist painters and was a founder of the Impressionist movement, but he actually rejected the characterization and referred to his style as “realism.” Unlike the Impressionists, he painted only in a studio, forsaking the Impressionists’ embrace of painting en plein air. Degas first went to the Paris Opera to see the ballet when he was over 40 years old, and for the next 30 years made the dancers his principal subjects and grand obsession. He is particularly remembered for his paintings of young ballet dancers. He rarely shows the public performance of the dance, instead depicting rehearsals, dance classes, costume fittings, and the long waits between dancing. His main intrigue and desire was to show the strain behind the perfection.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTAJ Books International
    Release dateMar 3, 2013
    ISBN9781844062768
    Degas
    Author

    Sandra Forty

    Sandra Forty is a graduate of London University where she studied medieval and early modern history, including a spell at the Courtauld Institute learning about Renaissance art from Professor Gombrich. Since then she has worked as a journalist in London, then as a book editor and writer. She is the author of a number of books, most on art and architecture. Sandra lives in south Devon with her husband, children and many cats.

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      Book preview

      Degas - Sandra Forty

      image1

      Published by TAJ Books International LLC 2013

      219 Great Lake Drive

      Cary, North Carolina, USA

      27519

      www.tajbooks.com

      www.tajminibooks.com

      Copyright © TAJ Books International LLC

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored

      in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,

      mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written

      permission of the Publisher and copyright holders.

      All notations of errors or omissions (author inquiries, permissions)

      concerning the content of this book should be addressed to

      info@tajbooks.com.

      eISBN 978-1-84406-237-9

      PRINT ISBN: XXXXXXXXXXXXX

      Printed in China.

      1 2 3 4 5 17 16 15 14 13

      EDGAR DEGAS

      1839–1917

      Edgar Degas began as a classical painter of genre history scenes and died as one of the greatest and most innovative names in French art—although as with so many other artists, he did not receive a great deal of recognition in his lifetime. Along the way his style changed completely from strict academic formalism to near-abstract scenes of contemporary Parisian life. His primary subject was the human form, especially that of women, and he also loved the vibrancy of horse racing.

      Degas is usually labeled an Impressionist because he was friendly with many of the Impressionist painters and was a founder of the Impressionist movement, but he actually rejected the characterization and referred to his style as realism. He considered one of the Impressionists’ basic tenets—painting en plein air—ludicrous and only painted in a studio, using models for his figures or simply relying on his memory of a scene. Nevertheless, he did exhibit in seven of the eight Impressionist exhibitions.

      Above all, Degas was a superb draftsman. This skill, coupled with his innovative eye, allowed him to generate an entirely new compositional approach to painting, making him one of the truly great recorders of ordinary lives.

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