Edgar Degas

Edgar Degas

Born: 19th July 1834, Paris, France Died: 27th September 1917, Paris, France. Aged 83 Nationality: French Spouse(s): None Children: None Father: Augustin De Gas Mother: Celestine Musson De Gas Siblings: 4 (6 technically as two died at birth). Rene, Achille, Marguerite and Therese De Gas

1. Degas’ father was a prosperous banker.

2. Degas’ mother died when Degas was just thirteen.

3. Degas had a prestigious upbringing.

4. Degas’ ancestry goes back to Italian roots.

5. Throughout Degas life he distrusted the scent of perfume and flowers.

6. Degas absolutely detested cats and dogs.

7. Degas had a strange attitude to women. His maid once came into his room when he was changing and he shouted, “get out you miserable creature!”

8. One female model one questioned how Degas had painted her nose. She was thrown out into the street naked with her clothes thrown after her.

9. When female models lost poses, he would shout at them and make negative comments about their bodies. However, he also had tendencies to be very nice to them, but he never saw them as anything more than flesh, bone and muscles.

10. He once fired a model after learning she was a Protestant.

11. Degas was a Roman Catholic.

12. He had profoundly conservative political views.

13. Degas is also regarded as an anti-­‐Semitic. It seemed to grow with age. As he grew older he terminated ties with Jewish friends and refused to use Jewish models. He was a member of the anti-­‐Semitic Anti-­‐Dreyfusards until his death.

14. He developed a close friendship with Mary Cassatt. He once said of her, “I could have married her, but I could never have made love to her.”

15. It is widely considered that Degas was celibate.

16. Degas never expressed any interest in marriage once saying, "what would I want a wife for? Imagine having someone around who at the end of a grueling day in the studio said, "that's a nice painting dear.""

17. Degas is most recognised for painting ballerinas. He was primarily a figure and portrait painter.

18. Degas hated plein air painting. He once claimed he can paint the outdoors, indoors with a model on a towel and crumpled napkins for inspiration for clouds.

19. By the age of 18, Degas had turned his bedroom into an artist’s studio.

20. Degas started off studying law but wanted to be a painter. He never finished his degree in law and pursued painting. He began copying the old masters in the Louvre as learning artists commonly did at the time.

21. Degas first studied under Louis Lamothe who was a pupil of Ingres.

22. In 1855, Degas enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux-­‐Arts but became disillusioned with the way of teaching and left to work on his own.

23. Degas frequently exhibited in The Salon until 1863 when his work was rejected. He also met Manet and they began discussing artistic ideas.

24. Degas liked to work uninterrupted. He said, “The artist must live apart”.

25. As Degas worked he could sometimes be heard singing. Once he was heard singing, “I’d rather keep a hundred sheep / than one outspoken girl”.

26. In 1870 when France declared war on Prussia, Degas joined the National Guard. He was stationed at Bastion and eventually joined with Manet to become a volunteer gunner.

27. In 1872, Paul Durand-­‐Ruel buys Degas’ paintings for the first time.

28. Also in 1872 Degas visited family in New Orleans dropping by London and New York on the way. He stayed until spring of 1873.

29. In 1874 he helps to organise the first Impressionist exhibition and exhibits himself. He does better than most. Selling nothing but having sold seven paintings before the exhibition from the catalogue.

30. Degas exhibits in the second and third Impressionist exhibitions and continues to sell work. However, after the Franco-­‐Prussian war, the De Gas’ family wealth was affected badly as his father’s business was damaged. In 1877, Degas had to downgrade his property.

31. Also in 1879, he meets Mary Cassatt who he develops a close friendship with over the years to come. He eventually invites her to exhibit in the fourth Impressionist exhibition.

32. In 1879, he begins to experiment with printmaking. He owned a printing press and invented a technique called maniere grise, which allows you to get lightly shaded areas.

33. Degas exhibited in all eight Impressionist exhibitions in Paris.

34. In 1886, he begins to write poetry and regrets not pursuing in a family. He begins to feel inauthentic in his age.

35. In 1895, Degas bought a camera and began experimenting with photography.

36. In his age his sight began to fail.

37. Degas died in 1917.