Edgar Degas

Deep in the heart of Montmartre, within the hallowed grounds of Cimetière de Montmartre, rests Edgar Degas. A master of movement and light, Degas captured the fleeting moments of Parisian life with unparalleled precision. Born into a wealthy banking family in 1834, Degas initially pursued a law degree, much to his father’s delight. But the allure of art proved too strong. He abandoned law and enrolled at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand, immersing himself in the classics before dedicating his life to painting. Degas trained under Louis Lamothe, adhering to the traditional academic style with its emphasis on line and draftsmanship. He meticulously copied Italian Renaissance masterpieces at the Louvre and journeyed to Italy, sketching and drawing the frescoes and paintings that captivated him. Though associated with the Impressionists, and indeed a founder of the group, Degas preferred the labels “Realist” or “Independent.” Unlike his contemporaries, who reveled in painting en plein air landscapes, Degas sought his subjects in the gaslit theaters and bustling cafés of Paris. He found his muses in the dancers, laundresses, and milliners of the city, capturing their movements and gestures with astonishing accuracy. He produced nearly 1,500 works on the subject of ballet, not as traditional portraits, but as studies of the human body in motion. His paintings reveal the physicality and discipline of the dancers, often captured from unusual angles and perspectives. Degas’s innovative approach to composition and framing was influenced by Japanese prints, which flooded Paris after the opening of trade with Japan in 1854. He embraced asymmetry and cropping, techniques also employed by the 16th-century Italian Mannerists he admired. Degas’s artistic curiosity extended beyond painting. He experimented with engraving, monotype, and even photography, using these mediums to inform his artistic process. His failing eyesight, perhaps a consequence of his service during the Franco-Prussian War, led him to favor pastels and sculpture in his later years. Confined to his studio, Degas focused on dancers and nudes, capturing their forms with a sculptural solidity. Though reclusive and increasingly blind, Degas continued to create until 1912, leaving behind a legacy of dynamic and captivating art that continues to enthrall us here at his final resting place.