What was edgar degas known for

French painter, graphic artist and sculptor Date of Birth: Country: France

Biography of Edgar Degas

Edgar Degas was a French painter, printmaker, and sculptor.

Edgar degas simple biography graphic organizer printable In this painting, as in The Young Spartans and many later works, Degas was drawn to the tensions present between men and women. The first part of his work is marked by the classical tradition: Degas first exhibited history paintings at the Salon, before joining independent circles and participating in all the Impressionist exhibitions between and except in , with subjects inspired by contemporary life. After his death in , the same year as Rodin's, the sales of his studio and his sublime collection of masters Ingres, Delacroix, etc. Famous for his dancers, Edgar Degas is often considered one of the masters of Impressionism, a classification he refuted; the painter defined himself as a realist and an independent.

He was born on July 19, , into a wealthy family that belonged to the higher echelons of French society and had close ties to Italy and the United States. After completing his studies at the Lycee Louis-le-Grand, Degas initially intended to study law. However, in , he enrolled in the School of Fine Arts, studying under Louis Lamothe, who adhered to the classical direction in the visual arts.

Early in his artistic career, Degas seemed to be inclined towards working within the framework of classical realism.

He began copying the works of Andre Montenay, Sandro Botticelli, and Nicolas Poussin, all known for their meticulous rendering of depicted objects.

Edgar degas simple biography graphic organizer The dry medium, which he applied in complex layers and textures, enabled him more easily to reconcile his facility for line with a growing interest in expressive color. Degas returned to Paris in Though his work crossed many stylistic boundaries, his involvement with the other major figures of Impressionism and their exhibitions, his dynamic paintings and sketches of everyday life and activities, and his bold color experiments, served to finally tie him to the Impressionist movement as one of its greatest early artists. The figure remained his primary subject; his few landscapes were produced from memory or imagination.

By , Degas had created several remarkable portraits in the finest classical traditions, including the "Portrait of Countess Morbilli". In , he first employed a classical ancient theme in his artwork with "Young Spartan Exercising". In , Degas painted "Semiramis Finding Babylon". After this painting, he decided to no longer use academic subjects and embarked on a search for his own style, drawing inspiration from Paris (possibly influenced by Manet).

From , Degas began to depict horses, horse racing, and jockeys.

Biography essay graphic organizer Degas also displayed a remarkable skill for drawing and painting as a child, a talent encouraged by his father, who was a knowledgeable art lover. The French painter, sculptor and engraver Edgar Degas , whose real name was Hilaire Germain Edgar de Gas, was born in Paris in and died there in Frida Kahlo. Three artists he idolized, Ingres, Delacroix, and Daumier, were especially well represented in his collection.

Individual musicians and entire orchestras during performances later became his subjects of interest. Degas was particularly fascinated with capturing the quality of execution in his paintings and the precise rendering of bodily movements. The portraits of Edgar Degas from the s are incomparably more professional and realistic, showcasing the artist's distinctive touch.

During the Franco-German War of , Degas served in the artillery.

Upon his return, he continued to develop his mastery of depicting objects in motion. In October , Degas traveled to the United States, where he stayed for five months and created one of his finest works, "New Orleans Cotton Office" ().

Edgar degas simple biography graphic organizer pdf The group of painters would come to be known as the Impressionists though Degas preferred the term "realist" to describe his own work , and on April 15, , they held the first Impressionist exhibition. Degas returned to Paris in Gustav Klimt. Later Years, Death and Legacy Degas lived well into the 20th century, and though he painted less during these years, he promoted his work tirelessly and became an avid art collector.

In , another famous work, "The Ironing Women," was produced. It was during this period that Degas began extensively using pastels in his artwork.

In , Degas ventured into sculpture, transferring his talent for capturing bodies in motion to ballerinas and horses. Another aspect of Degas' artistic expression was photography. Living at a time when the photographic medium was just emerging, the artist had ample opportunities to experiment in this new field.

In his later years, Degas began to lose his eyesight, initially in one eye and later in both. The great artist passed away on September 2,