Art In Action: Edgar Degas, The Denying Expressionist
By Darla McCammon
Considered an expressionist by art historians, Edgar Degas repudiated that term.
He preferred to call himself an “independent.” More often he told others he was “a realist.” Yet he entered, and was accepted in multiple Expressionist exhibits and competitions. Many of his friends were expressionists, including a long friendship with Mary Cassatt, who helped his work to sell in America, where she was born. In defending his position as a “realist rather than an Expressionist,” Degas said, “No art was ever less spontaneous than mine. What I do is the result of reflection and study of the great masters; of inspiration, spontaneity, temperament I know nothing.”
Like Cassatt, Degas was born into an aristocratic and moderately wealthy family but Degas’ family lived in Paris where his father was a banker. Several members of his family hailed from New Orleans and Haiti. During his life he traveled to both places and created art based on what he saw there. Unlike many of his artistic peers he seldom had to worry about his finances or becoming a starving artist. He was born in Paris on July 19, 1834, and passed away after a long and healthy life on Sept. 27, 1917.
He was an expert in oil, pastel, etching, bronze sculptures, drawings and printmaking. As to subjects, more than half of his work depicted the ballet, and in particular the ballet dancers. He went to law school to appease his father, but his heart was always in his art endeavors. He later traveled to Italy to study the Renaissance artists. He returned and enlisted to protect Paris during the disastrous Franco-Prussian war.
After the war he made an extended visit back to New Orleans but upon returning to Paris found his father in ill health. His father died the following year and Degas discovered that his brother had nearly bankrupted their estate. Degas sold off everything he could, including his own home and art collection, to save his brother from ruin. This experience found him being sharpened as an artist and maturing in his workâwork that began to be very profitable and in demand.
Degas became more deeply associated with the Impressionist group but continued to maintain as much distance as possible with his “realism.” Another area in which he vehemently disagreed with these associates was in their outdoor, fresh air (en plain air) painting. One of his more famous quotes was: “You know what I think of people who work out in the open. If I were the government, I would have a special brigade of gendarmes to keep an eye on artists who paint landscapes from nature. Oh, I don’t mean to kill anyone; just a little dose of bird-shot now and then as a warning.”
Degas is revered today, regardless of genre title. His work does show a deep thoughtfulness and care with very little splash/dash spontaneity. You can find more photos of his beautiful work online. Just type in “Edgar Degas” in your search engine and escape to a beautiful world of lovely works of art.