Contents
Edgar Degas
Depicting ballet dancers at work and rest.
Pastels · Little Dancer Aged Fourteen
- Born
- 19 July 1834
- Birthplace
- Paris, France
- Died
- 27 September 1917
More people
Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas was a French artist who explored movement through painting, pastel, drawing and sculpture. His pictures of dancers often show rehearsals and waiting rather than the polished spectacle seen from an audience.
Early life
Paris household
Born into a prosperous family with banking connections.
Art training
Left legal studies for art, copied old masters and studied in Italy.
Career
- 1850s–1860s
Historical painting
Trained in classical drawing before turning increasingly to contemporary subjects.
- 1874–1886
Independent exhibitions
Participated in most of the exhibitions associated with the Impressionists.
- 1880s–1900s
Pastel and sculpture
Experimented with materials as his eyesight deteriorated.
Selected work
The Dance Class
Shows dancers rehearsing and resting around their instructor.
L’Absinthe
An isolated pair in a café becomes a study of urban detachment.
Little Dancer Aged Fourteen
Exhibited a wax figure with real clothing and hair.
Beyond work
Collector
Amassed works by artists he admired, including Ingres and Delacroix.
Divided friendships
His antisemitism and position during the Dreyfus affair damaged several relationships.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Photo: Edgar Degas. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
