The Painter of Dancers

Many know Edgar Degas as the famous “painter of dancers.” Toward his later life he became just that, but he also held a high status in the art world from a very early age. Degas was born to a prosperous family whose influence in his young life led him to an appreciation of music and the opera. He had many artistic friends and composers including Berthe Morisot and Emmanuel Chabrier but he seemed to identify the best with longtime friend Edouard Manet, a young artist coming from a very similar background as Degas himself. The two men joined the National Guard together at the beginning of the Franco-Prussian war but Degas was badly affected by the cold and resigned, taking time to show some of his works in London.

(The Little Dancer, 1878-80)

Degas spent much of his time dedicating his talents to art and trying to find new ways to perfect his style. It is known that, aside from Picasso, Degas was probably the most successful at maintaining and creating new art forms in his old age. When Japan opened up trade in 1853 he became fascinated with the eastern style of painting. Later, Degas moved toward the performing arts and spent countless hours sketching, sculpting, and painting ballerinas from the Corps de Ballet. His appreciation for dance and music finished off his life as he worked well into his eighties on these dancers. He is known and appreciated worldwide as an artist and sculptor able to capture intimate, private moments between the dancers and articulate performances they implement.  

(The Rehearsal, 1879)

(Le Viol, 1868)