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Edgar Degas (July 19, 1834 – September 27,
1917) was a France|French painter and sculptor.

Born Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas in Paris, France,
he was the oldest of five children. Madame de Gas
belonged to a French family that settled in
America. Fond of his mother, her death in 1847 was
a deep personal tragedy for Degas. His father, a
banker, encouraged his son's artistic inclination.
Degas received a classical education at Lycee
Louis-le-Grand from 1845 to 1852, then studied
law.

Degas' innovative composition, influenced by
photography and Japanese woodblock prints called
Ukiyo-e (Japonism), his skillful drawing, and
perceptive analysis of movement made him one of
the masters of progressive art in the late 19th
century. He is especially known for his paintings
of ballet dancers and other women, as well as of
Horse-racing|race horses. Often considered an
Impressionism|impressionist, some of his work
shows classical and Realism|realist styles, and
other times romanticism.

In 1852 he transformed a room of the family home
into a studio and worked under the tutelage Felix
Joseph Barrias. In 1855 Degas began study at the
École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Louis
Lamothe, a disciple of Jean Auguste Dominique
Ingres|Ingres for whom Degas would retain great
respect. However, he found the course unprofitable
and too restricting, and preferred independent
study in the classical tradition. So, he drew and
painted copies of the Old Masters|old masters in
the Louvre, a practice he continued for many
years. He travelled throughout Europe to study the
prints of Albrecht Dürer|Dürer,
Andrea_Mantegna|Mantegna, Rembrandt and Francisco
de Goya|Goya.


For three years he lived in Rome, Italy, where his
sister also lived. While there he admired the
Italian Early Christian and medieval masterpieces,
as well as the frescoes, panels, and drawings of
the Renaissance masters.

In 1859 Degas opened a studio in Paris, and
painted portraits and historical subjects which
were popular with art buyers at the time. He
quickly established clients in French art circles
and did not experience the financial difficulties
of many of his contemporaries.

Degas abandoned the historical genre in 1866 for
several reasons. In 1862 Degas met Édouard Manet
who preferred themes of modern life to traditional
subject matter of history and religion. Degas also
met novelist Louis Edmond Duranty|Edmond Duranty
who passionately believed in realism and wanted to
remove the barrier between art and life. Degas
frequented Café Guerbois where many artists
associated with impressionism regularly met.

His art of the late 1860s reflects his changing
views. He turned to theatre and the
Horse-racing|racecourse for inspiration. The
influence of Japanese art and its depiction of
figures began to show in his paintings.

During the Franco-Prussian War (1870 – 1871)
Degas served in the artillery. He contracted a
severe chill during his service, and for the first
time had trouble with his eyes.

Degas lived with family members in New Orleans,
Louisiana in 1872 and 1873, living at 2306
Esplanade (the house now operates as a bed and
breakfast and guided tours are available). One of
the paintings he did in New Orleans,
http://www.hayalevi.com/cgi-bin/sanatgalerisidetay
.asp?resim=153 The Cotton Exchange at New Orleans,
garnered favourable attention back in France, and
was his only work purchased by a museum (that of
Pau) during his lifetime.


Upon his return to Paris he opened another studio
and concentrated on themes from modern life such
as dancers, acrobats, singers and washerwomen. He
also rendered female nudes, which, along with
dancers, became his favourite subject matter.

In 1874 Degas' father died, and to pay off the
vast inherited debt, he sold some of his art
collection.

From 1874 Degas sent works to the impressionist
shows (he helped organise the first impressionist
exhibition). In 1881 he showed The Little Dancer
of Fourteen Years, his only sculpture exhibited
during his life. After the last impressionist
exhibition in 1886, Degas stopped sending works to
exhibitions.

In the 1880s, with his eyesight failing, Degas
shifted his talent to sculpture and pastel, which
did not require such acute vision. By the 1890s
worked only on large compositions and in 1908 he
gave up art completely. Ever more reclusive and
eccentric, Degas was evicted from his home and a
new studio was found for him, but he never settled
there. He wandered the streets like a blind Homer.


Famous and revered, Degas died in Paris on 27
September, 1917 and is buried in the Cimetière de
Montmartre, Paris, France. Degas left more than
2,000 oil paintings and pastels and 150
sculptures.

Before 2005, Degas paintings sold for as much as
United States dollar|$16 million.

==External links==
 Commons|Edgar Degas
*
http://www.biography.com/impressionists/artists_de
gas.html The Impressionists / Degas at Biography
* http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/degas/
Degas at the WebMuseum
*
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/degas/degas.ht
ml PBS on Degas
* http://www.abcgallery.com/D/degas/degas.html
Brief biography and paintings
* http://cgfa.sunsite.dk/degas/index.html CGFA
Degas webpages
*
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/degas_edgar.h
tml Degas information at artcyclopedia.com
* http://artchive.com/ftp_site.htm Artchive about
Degas