Hilaire Germain Edgar De GasKnown as Edgar Degas

French Painter

Edgar Degas (pronounced Day-ga)

•B July 19, 1834 Paris France•D September 27, 1917 Paris France

•Painter of ballet dancers, horses, orchestra members, women•Brilliant, one of the best painters of all time

“The Dance Lesson”

• Father: Augustin De Gas, a banker• Mother: Celestine Musson De Gas, from New Orleans LA, an amateur opera singer Edgar was oldest of five children Mother died when Edgar was 13 y.o. Edgar changed the spelling of his last name

• Family was moderately wealthy• Grandparents came to raise children after mother died

Paris

* Edgar started school at age 11

* Graduated from school “Lycee Louis Le Grand”, age 19

* Degree in Literature

• Age 18 Started to paint, father encouraged his artwork• Turned his bedroom into a studio • Got permission to copy artwork in Louvre Museum• Father said no more painting, go to law school

“Race Horses”

• Nov 1853 (age 19) University of Paris Law School• Didn’t do well in studies• Met another painter, Jean Auguste Ingres, who told him..

"Draw lines, young man, and still more lines, both from life and from memory, and you will become a good artist."

Famous painter Ingres

• April 1855 (age 21) Admitted to “Ecole des Beaux Arts” (art school)• Teacher Louis Lamothe trained him well but he stayed only one year

Ecole des Beaux ArtsFounded in 1648Instruction in architecture, drawing, painting, sculpture, engraving and gem cutting

• 1856 Travelled to Italy • Stayed for three years• Studied artworks by great masters

Studies for “Bellili Family” done in Italy

• 1859 Moved back to Paris• Set up a studio, went to work on “The Bellili Family” (large

painting) • Finished the painting in 1867• Worked on several other history paintings

History painting “Daughter of Jephthah”

• Degas submitted paintings to the Salon, an annual art exhibit and competition, held in Paris

• The committee of judges at the Salon had rigid ideas of what art should look like. Degas disagreed.

• Degas believed that new ideas and new techniques were OK.

• 1868 (age 34) Degas was meeting with other artists who had the same thoughts about art.

• The group of Manet, Renoir, Monet, Sisley and Degas met at the Café Guerbois in Paris

• 1870 (age 36) Franco-Prussian War broke out. • Degas joined the French National Guard• After one year, war was over• “French Commune” seized control of Paris• For safety, Degas fled and stayed with mothers family in New Orleans

“The Dancing Class” 1871

• Degas came back to Paris in 1873 (age 39) • His father died the next year • It was discovered that brother Rene had amassed enormous

business debt• To preserve the family name, Degas sold his house and art

collection to pay the debt

“Woman and Chrysanthemums”

• End of 1873 (age 39) Degas and the group of painters formed “Societe Anonyme des Artistes”

• They had free art shows for the public

• They became known as the Impressionists

(Degas hated that name)

• Degas showed his paintings of modern women

“Woman Ironing”

• Degas’ paintings show the change in French culture. More wealthy people More people as servants More women in workplace

Degas self portrait

“The Orchestra of the Opera”

• 1886 (age 52) At the Societe, Degas showed 10 paintings of women bathing

• The paintings were very controversial

“The Tub”

• Degas painted many dancers, in practice and on stage

“Dancers, Pink and Green”“Ballet Dancers”

• In his later years, Degas enjoyed photography

• Degas lived to be 83• Never married, had no children• Was an avid art collector in his later years• Had several close women friends, including American painter

Mary Cassatt

• Degas was nearly blind in his later years• He did some sculpting then because his hands could “see”

“Little Dancer”“Horse at Trough”

• He became more opinionated in his later years

• Alienated his friends• He believed a painter

could have no personal life

• His last friend said “What a creature he was, that Degas! All his friends had to leave him; I was one of the last to go, but even I couldn't stay till the end." “Edmondo and Therese Morbilli”

(Degas’ sister and her husband) Critics say this painting illustrates a bad marriage

• Degas made painstakingly polished and refined paintings

• He was obsessive about planning and practicing

• He never painted outside, as many of his friends did

• The human figure was his main subject

In- Depth topics for Edgar Degas

Research one topic, write one paragraph at the bottom of your notes.

1. Impressionists 2. Ecole des Beaux Arts 3. Salon

“Blue Dancers”

The End.

“Race Horses”