Was the famous artist Edgar Degas really a misogynist and what was his main passion?

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Edgar Degas was a French painter who is considered one of the founders of the Impressionist art movement. Although he did not consider himself as such. He is also called a misogynist, an anti-Semite, and a bad character. What is true and what is fiction in the facts about the biography of this master?

1. Degas was supposed to become a lawyer

At the age of 18, Degas was already clearly aware of his artistic talent and dream of becoming a painter. During the same period, he turned his room into a studio and began visiting the Louvre as a copyist. Despite the fact that his father forced him to attend law school. He was clearly not given study at an unloved institute, but Degas continued to attend him at the direction of his father until 1855. And later he met one of his artistic idols, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. He told him: "Draw the contours, young man, a lot of contours, from memory and from nature, in this way you will become a good artist." Degas always remembered these words.

2. Degas had competing mentors

The most influential person for Degas - Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres - in his work was distinguished by clarity of forms and careful presentation of topics. Coincidentally, Degas also drew inspiration from Ingres rival Eugene Delacroix, who, by contrast, focused on color and movement. Degas was also heavily influenced by Japanese Ukiyo-e prints, with bold, linear designs and flatness characteristic of this particular style of art.

3. Degas was an incredible photographer

We know Degas primarily as an artist and draftsman, but he was also an incredibly dedicated photographer. In the late 1880s, he became interested in this hobby, taking pictures of himself and photographing loved ones by the light of lamps. He also created photographs of his models for use as visual references for his paintings and drawings.

4. Degas had significant vision problems

He developed low vision while serving in the National Guard in the Franco-Prussian War. When military doctors decided to test Degas's eyesight, it turned out that he had a genetic predisposition to the poor ability to see clearly. Vision problems accompanied him almost all his life. He even had to quit his job by 1912 and constantly wear dark sunglasses outside the home.

5. The most famous work of Degas received a lot of negative reviews from critics

The painting "Absinthe" from 1876 depicts a gloomy scene in a cafe with unfortunate customers. This work was criticized to such an extent that it was excluded from exhibitions for 16 years! And only in 1892 the world saw her again. An even bigger problem was that a barrage of criticism fell on the main characters - the model Ellen Andre and Marcellina Desbutin. There were even rumors of alleged debauchery. This situation prompted Degas to publicly declare that none of his heroes sank to moral bottom.

6. Only one work by Degas was acquired by the museum

The painting "The Cotton Office in New Orleans" in 1873 was the only painting by Degas acquired by the museum in his entire life. But most of his paintings were simply sold through art galleries or dealers. This picture served as a milestone for his fame and success. The New Orleans Cotton Office was eventually acquired by the Poe Museum of Art for 2,000 francs.

The painting depicts Uncle Edgar Degas' cotton brokerage business. On closer inspection, one can see Degas' uncle, Monsoon, grabbing raw cotton, his brother, Achilles, leaning against the window, and Rene reading the newspaper. A few years after the creation of the canvas, his business will cease to exist, unable to cope with the economic crisis.

7. Degas was an ardent anti-Semite

According to the Chicago Tribune (the most popular newspaper in Chicago and the American Midwest), anti-Semitism in Degas' soul arose from the Dreyfus affair (a Jewish-French officer was unjustly accused of treason). France was literally divided into two camps - those who considered the sentence to be legitimate, and those who saw a religious background in it. Degas was anti-Semist.

8. Many critics considered him a misogynist

One of his works, namely “After the Bath. The Woman Seen from the Back”in 1887 was particularly influential in this public label. Many of the paintings depicting naked women drying themselves with towels, combing their hair and reflecting many other delicate moments later led to the fact that Degas acquired a not entirely enviable reputation as a misogynist. This was seen by many critics as an unusual and generally unflattering portrayal of women, because, in their opinion, the heroines looked demeaning.

Degas quotes added even more fuel to the fire: he called his heroines "little monkeys" and admitted that "he once considered a woman an animal." In my opinion, he was not a misogynist. It is likely that he, as an artist, had his own view of the image of a woman and had the right to translate it onto canvas as he saw fit. And the consequences of such a decision, of course, were also part of his personal responsibility.

9. Degas was the most famous master of dance themes

Many art lovers associate the name Degas with ballet. And for good reason. His ability to capture dynamic movements allowed him to portray ballerinas from different angles and positions. The master depicted them during the work process, and at the rehearsal, and during the break. The Paris Opera House even allowed Degas to attend dance rehearsals. He owed this merit to his friend, the choreographer Jules Perrot. Thanks to this friendship, Degas was able to create more than a dozen paintings about ballet art.

Degas wanted to depict the energy and grace of the dancers on his canvases, as well as convey to the audience their will and efforts. During his career, he has created over a thousand works on the dance theme. Without these works, there would be no place for dance in the sacred halls of art museums and art history books. Degas established this theme in art and legitimized it.

10. Degas was rarely truly satisfied with his work

This is true. Edgar Degas rarely considered a painting complete, always wanting to improve it. His paintings may look spontaneous, but he spent a lot of time planning them. I studied my topics for a long time, researched the background, characters, made many sketches before starting to draw.

11. He was an impressionist, although he did not want it

Despite his opposition to Impressionism, it is clear that Degas himself was an important part of this movement. This is evidenced by his famous works. Degas has exhibited his work in all exhibitions of the Salon (except for one of the eight presented impressionists). Edgar Degas, having received many criticisms of his personality and artistic style, proved to be a difficult player in the artistic world. His public reputation ranged from admiration to contempt. Yes, he is currently considered one of the founders of Impressionism, but his work reflected the boundaries of both Japanese and European art styles, and this makes Degas one of the most significant figures in art history.

12. Degas made significant changes in painting technique

Degas invented new techniques for painting pictures of dancers and ballerinas. No one has ever tried to visually capture such body and body movements in motion as Edgar Degas. He also revived pastels as an art material that was rejected by the painters for decades.

13. An obsessed collector?

Indeed, Degas loved creativity and paintings more than the society of people. Degas, constantly dressed in a frock coat and a hat with a chimney, was an obsessed collector of lace handkerchiefs and walking sticks.

14. Degas died a bachelor

It's true Degas has never been married. And he had no children. But why did he choose to remain a bachelor? A number of art critics equate this fact with his artistic attitude towards women (they say, a misogynist both in life and in work). I don't think this is true. Creative people do not always live the way most people live. It is likely that Degas was so devoted to his work that he simply did not have time for his personal life.