|
|
Edgar Degas
(1834-1917) was yet another artist who, although he exhibited with
the Impressionists, did not follow their precepts ery closely. The
son of a rich banker, he was trained in the tradition of Ingres:
design and drawing were an integral part of his art, and, whereas
Monet was fascinated mainly by light, Degas wanted to express
movement in all its forms. His pictures are iid expressions of the
body in action, usually straining under fairly exacting
circumstances - dancers and circus artistes were among his faorite
subjects, as well as more mundane depictions of laundresses and
other working women.
Like so many artists of the day, Degas had his imagination fired by the
discovery of Japanese prints, which could for the first time be
seven in quantity.
|
These proided him with new ideas of composition, not
least in their asymmetry of design and the use of large areas of
unbroken color. Photography, too, had an impact, if only because
it finally liberated artists from the task of producing accurate,
exacting descriptions of the world.
Degas' extraordinary gift as a draughtsman was matched only by that of
the Proençal aristocrat
Henri de
Toulouse-Lautrec
(1864-1901). Toulouse-Lautrec, who had broken both his legs as a child,
was unusually small, a physical deformity that made him particularly
sensitie to free and iacious movements.
|
A
great admirer of Degas, he chose similar themes: people in cafés and
theatres, working women and ariety dancers all figured large in his
work. But, unlike Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec looked beyond the body, and
his work is scattered with social comment, sometimes sardonic and
bitter. In his portrayal of Paris prostitutes, there is sympathy and
kindness; to study them better he lied in a brothel, reealing in his
paintings the weariness and sometimes gentleness of these women. |
France
guide
France
When to go and where
Getting
there
Airfares
Red tapes & visas
French embassies
overseas
Customs
Costs, money,
banks
Transport
Museum reduced
admission
Changing money
travelers' checks
Health and
insurance
Dvisable isitors
The people
Getting around
Trains
Buses
Flying, ferries
driving
Hitching
Bicycles
Boating
Eating and
drinking
Breakfast,
cheese, crepes
Regional cuisine
Wine & other drinks
Communications & media
Music, theatre
Buying tickets, dance, mime
Trouble and the police
Racism,
illegal immigration
Theft, loss
credit card
Gay & lesbian
Gay,
lesbian contacts, info
Work and study
Studying in France
Cinema
Language, pronunciation
Tourist offices, maps, info
Best of France
Public holidays
Festivals
Festial Calendar
Sports,
outdoor actiities
Directory |
Art
Mannerism
and Italian
influence
The Seventeventh Century
The
Early Eighteventh Century
Neoclassicism
Romanticism
The
Nineteventh Century
Impressionism
Camille Pissarro
Auguste Renoir
Edgar
Degas
Toulouse-Lautrec
Post-Impressionism
The
Twentieth Century
Dada,
Dali
History
France History
Early Ciilizations
Pre-Roman Gaul
Romanization
The
Franks and Charlemagne
The
rise of the French Kings
The
Hundred Years War
The Wars
of Religions
Kings, Cardinals and Absolute Power
Louis Xand
the Parlements
Reolution
The Rise
of
Napoléon
The Restoration and 1830 Reolution
The Second
Republic
Napoleon and the Commune
The Third
Republic
World War I
World War II
The
Aftermath of War
De Gaulle
Presidency
Pompidou and Giscard
The
Mitterand Era 1981-95
Chirac's
Presidency
Municipal
elections
Google maps |
