Edgar Degas

Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas was a French artist famous for both his paintings and drawings. Like Manet, Caillebotte and Morisot, he was a member of the haute bourgeoisie. He is widely considered to be one of the founding fathers of Impressionism.

Although Degas is frequently identified as an Impressionist, he differed from most of the Impressionists in that he never adopted their pecking style of brushwork nor did he customarily use the bright, dazzling colors, associated with that style. However, he did use a realistic manner of drawing and selected subjects that almost always involved scenes of modern life, particularly of the lower social classes. These characteristics tend to place him firmly in the Impressionist camp. He also participated in seven out of the eight Impressionist Exhibitions that were held from 1874 through 1886.

Edgar Degas developed a unique artistic style, derived from two very different influences: 1) the work of the famous Neoclassical artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, and 2) the flattened perspective and coloring of Japanese prints. Degas's early work frequently involved conventional classical and/or historical subjects such as his painting entitled Young Spartan Girls Provoking the Boys (see picture on the right). However, by the late 1860s, Degas changed his choice of subjects. He began to paint working women such as milliners, laundresses, opera singers, and dancers. Degas also began to paint Parisian café life as well (see The Absinthe Drinker shown below). He became a strong advocate of painting about real life instead of traditional mythological or historical subjects.