Jean Béraud and Edgar Degas: Why such different artists seem so similar

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

Jean Béraud and Edgar Degas. A Frenchman from St. Petersburg and a revolutionary founder of Impressionism from Paris. Beraud's work was close to the work of Degas, with whom, in addition to common interests, he was connected by friendship. They were united in their passion for the changing face of Paris, but they were different in conveying the characters of their heroes and the chosen palette. How to recognize the authorship of these artists and not get confused?

Jean Béraud

French artist of Russian origin Jean Béraud is best known for his paintings of Parisian life and portraits of the elite. His style was similar to that of Edgar Degas. It is the middle ground between the traditional academic painting seen in Parisian salons and early Impressionism. Born January 12, 1849 in St. Petersburg. His father worked as a sculptor in St. Isaac's Cathedral, after whose death the whole family moved to Paris, where he was supposed to be educated as a lawyer. After the end of the Franco-Prussian War, Béraud dropped out of law school and took up painting. He studied with Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat at the École des Beaux-Arts. The artist enjoyed success in the salons of Paris throughout his career, and today Beraud's works are in the best collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Louvre in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery in London and other museums.

Edgar Degas

Edgar Degas is a French artist known for his work in painting, sculpture, engraving and graphics. He is considered one of the founders of Impressionism, although he preferred to be called a realist. Degas is known for his works with the themes of dance, ballet and … everyday female subjects. His portraits are considered some of the finest in art history. At the beginning of his career, Degas intended to become a historian (he was already prepared for this direction thanks to his academic education and a thorough study of classical art). However, in his mid-thirties, he radically changed course and, applying the traditional methods of the historical artist to contemporary subjects, became a classical artist. Degas has his own distinct style, reflecting his deep respect for the old masters and admiration for Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres and Eugene Delacroix. He was also a collector of Japanese prints, whose compositional principles influenced his work, as well as the energetic realism of popular illustrators.

Creativity of Bero and Degas

Beraud's work was close to the work of Edgar Degas, with whom, in addition to common interests, he was connected by friendship. Degas and Béraud were united in their interest in the changing face of Paris, in their love of quick paint application (quick strokes). They often reflected the same stories and the same characters. But Jean Béraud was more immersed in the classical tradition of painting. He demonstrated unconventional biblical scenes in unexpected compositions, creating a huge flurry of emotions among the public of the time. With all this, he was loved by the audience of the salons and aroused admiration. But the work of Edgar Degas throughout his career received different assessments: both contempt and admiration. A promising classical painter, Degas presented a number of his paintings in the salons of Paris (they received praise from Pierre Pouvi de Chavannes and criticism from Castannari). Degas soon joined forces with the Impressionists and rejected the strict rules and elitism of the salon - just as the salon originally rejected the experimentalism of the Impressionists. To compare the style and creativity of the artists, consider the closest subjects in their works:

"Absinthe" Degas and "Drinkers" by Jean BéraudThe first thing that catches the eye of the viewer is the palette. Edgar Degas (first picture) uses a faded palette, more mustard-swamp, dark green colors (painful, like alcohol itself). The visitors of this cafe are people lost in life, with an empty and even hopeless look. A lot is betrayed by the awkwardly exposed legs of the heroine (she does not worry about someone else's opinion, she is all immersed in her thoughts and life vicissitudes). Her neighbor, a slovenly and slovenly dressed man of about 40 with a beard, also looks doomed. As for the establishment itself, this is not an elite café, but rather an eatery for frequently drinking strata of society. In sharp contrast is Jean Béraud's painting. It is not for nothing that he is called the artist of "brilliance and gloss". After all, even the drinking people from his picture - in particular the woman - are neat and well dressed. On her head she has a beautiful hat and gloves to match her dress. Her neighbor (more like the hero from the painting by Degas), apparently, did not come with her. They are too different. He is not neat, his face already has many days of stubble. He also smokes a cigarette, like the man in the Degas painting. They both did not take off their hats as required by etiquette. The woman is not drunk, she has not even finished her glass. On the contrary, she looks at the viewer with a boring questioning look. This is another difference between Jean Béraud and Edgar Degas: in the former, the heroes of the paintings look at the audience, the artist seems to create a dialogue. And Edgar Degas' heroes are busy with their daily affairs, the artist seemed to have caught the moment and captured them. Bero's institution is significantly different in interior (it is designed for the elite). Beraud's palette is brighter and more contrasting, does not create a feeling of soreness or doom.

Degas' Opera Orchestra and Jean Béraud's Theater StageThe second pair of paintings, similar in plot, are related to the theme of the orchestra. Again, the difference in the palette is striking (Degas use faded colors, Bero a more contrasting and brighter palette). Edgar Degas focused on the orchestra and, to be more precise, on an adult musician with a mustache playing the saxophone. The audience sees him at the brightest moment of his playing, when the musician's cheeks are puffed up in an effort to play the notes. The audience sees only the legs of the ballerinas performing their composition. But Jean Béraud focused on a cheerful round man on stage, who literally jumped up with laughter. It is not for nothing that the picture is called "Scene" (and not "Scene"). It is possible that the plot of this scene is comical, which caused such a violent reaction from the man.

Degas' Dance Lesson and Jean Béraud's Parisian CafeIn the third pair of paintings, the favorite palette of the two artists becomes clear: the audience already knows that Edgar Degas is attracted by dark beige, marsh shades, and Jean Béraud loves the red-orange palette. The difference in the faces of the characters is striking again: at Edgar Degas, the dancers are busy with their rehearsals, they attentively listen to the instructions of their teacher. But in the painting by Jean Béraud, the dancers seem to flirt with the audience, two women in the very process of their dancing look directly at the observer, inviting them to join their fun. The main difference between the two masters is that Degas describe everyday situations, daily, routine, and Jean Bero demonstrates brilliance, gloss, elite, cheerfulness