Edgar Degas seems never to have reconciled himself to the label of "Impressionist," preferring to call himself a "Realist" or "Independent." Nevertheless, he was one of the group’s founders, an organizer of its exhibitions, and one of its most important core members. Like the Impressionists, he sought to capture fleeting moments in the flow of modern life, yet he showed little interest in painting plain air landscapes, favoring scenes in theaters and cafes illuminated by artificial light, which he used to clarify the contours of his figures, adhering to his Academic training. He is especially identified with the subject of dance; more than half of his works depict dancers. He also was a superb draftsman, and particularly masterful in depicting movement, as can be seen in his interpretations of dancers and female nudes. His portraits are notable for their psychological complexity and for their portrayal of human isolation.

Like the Impressionists, Degas sought to capture fleeting moments in the flow of modern life, yet he showed little interest in painting plain air landscapes, favoring scenes in theaters and cafes illuminated by artificial light, which he used to clarify the contours of his figures, adhering to his Academic training. He is especially identified with the subject of dance; more than half of his works depict dancers. He also was a superb draftsman, and particularly masterful in depicting movement, as can be seen in his interpretations of dancers and female nudes. His portraits are notable for their psychological complexity and for their portrayal of human isolation.

There are many myths about the artist Edgar Degas—from Degas the misanthrope to Degas the deviant, to Degas the obsessive. But there is no single text that better stokes the fire than Degas and His Model, a short memoir published by Alice Michel, who purportedly modeled for Degas. Never before translated into English, the text’s original publication in Mercure de France in 1919, shortly after the artist’s death, has been treated as an important account of the master sculptor at work. We know that Alice was writing under a pseudonym, but who the real person behind this account was remains a mystery—to this day nothing is known about her. Yet, the descriptions seem too accurate to be ignored, the anecdotes too spot-on to discount; even the dialogue captures the artist’s tone and mannerisms. What is found in these pages is at times a woman’s flirtatious recollection of a bizarre “artistic type” and at others a moving attempt to connect with a great, often tragic man. The descriptions are limpid, unburdened; the dialogue is lively and intimate, not unlike reading the very best kind of gossip, with world-historical significance. Here in these dusty studios, Degas is alive, running hands over clay, complaining about his eyes, denigrating the other artists around him, and whispering salaciously to his model. And during his mood swings, we see reflected the model’s innocence and confusion, her pain at being misunderstood and finally rejected. It is an intimate portrait of a moment in a great artist’s life, a sort of Bildungsroman in which his model (whoever she may be) does not emerge unscathed.

Through Edgar Degas’s beloved paintings, drawings, and sculptures, Susan Goldman Rubin conveys the wonder and excitement of the ballet world. Degas is one of the most celebrated painters of the impressionist movement, and his ballerina paintings are among the most favorite of his fans. In his artwork, Degas captures every moment, from the relentless hours of practice to the glamour of appearing on stage, revealing a dancer’s journey from novice to prima ballerina. Observing young students, Degas drew their poses again and again, determined to achieve perfection. The book includes a brief biography of his entire life, endnotes, bibliography, where to see his paintings, and an index.

Edgar Degas was one of the great pioneers of modern art, and the J. Paul Getty and Norton Simon museums are fortunate to own jointly one of his finest pastels, Waiting (L'Attente), which he made sometime between 1880 and 1882, about midway in his career. In this fascinating monograph, author Richard Thomson explores this brilliant work in detail, revealing both the intricacies of its composition and the source of the emotional pull it immediately exerts upon the viewer. For Waiting is, indeed, an extraordinary object both in its craftsmanship and color and, perhaps most especially, in its aura of ambiguity and even mystery.

French artist Edgar Degas was famous for his drawing, painting, sculpture and printmaking. Although a member of the Impressionists, with Monet, Pissaro and Renoir his work focused on indoor subjects, particularly his acutely observed pieces on ballerinas. His masterful studies of real life resonate still today and he remains one of the most popular painters in the world. This beautiful new book showcases all of his major works (including Ballet Rehearsal, The Star and The Ballet Class), with detailed captions, and a long essay on life, art and influences.

Alongside [Vincent] van Gogh, [Paul] Cézanne, and [Paul] Gauguin, Edgar Degas ... is considered one of the major pioneers of modern art. In light of his popular impressionistic paintings, it is easy to lose sight of the conplexity of Degas's oeuvre. All his life, the artist experimented with printing techniques and drawing as well as photography and sculpture. In his late work the delicate, detailed painting of his mature period between the eighteen-seventies and early eighteen-eighties yields to a unique pleasure in technical experimentation and an obsessive creativity, which increasingly liberated the means of depiction from its reproductive function. As if in a dreamlike state that unites the present and past, things seen and remembered, he produced nude studies, ballet scenes, landscapes and portraits. ..."--Book jacket.

A beautiful celebration of six decades of work by Edgar Degas, published in the centennial year of the artist's death Edgar Degas's (1834-1917) relentless experimentation with technical procedures is a hallmark of his lifelong desire to learn. The numerous iterations of compositions and poses suggest an intense self-discipline, as well as a refusal to accept any creative solution as definitive or finite. Published in the centenary year of the artist's death, this book presents an exceptional array of Degas's work, including paintings, drawings, pastels, etchings, monotypes, counter proofs, and sculpture, with approximately sixty key works from private and public collections in Europe and the United States, some of them published here for the first time. Shown together, the impressive works represent well over half a century of innovation and artistic production. Essays by leading Degas scholars and conservation scientists explore his practice and recurring themes of the human figure and landscape. The book opens with a study of Degas's debt to the Old Masters, and it concludes with a consideration of his artistic legacy and his influence on leading artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Francis Bacon, Frank Auerbach, Ryan Gander, David Hockney, Howard Hodgkin, R. B. Kitaj, Pablo Picasso, and Walter Sickert. Published in association with the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge Exhibition Schedule: The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (10/3/17-1/14/18) Denver Art Museum (02/18/18-05/20/18)

The purpose of this volume is to introduce the reader to the pleasure of looking at master drawings. Through forty-five spectacular works of art, each shown in full and with an enlarged detail, the book simulates the experience of looking at a drawing through a magnifying glass: we can see the techniques and materials used and get close to the artist's creativity. They are roughly ordered by date and were chosen for inclusion because, in addition to yielding beautiful details, they encompass a wide variety of media and techniques. Accompanying short texts highlight particular aspects of each work; italicized technical terms are explained in an accessible and informative glossary at the back. Works by some of the greatest masters of the craft--Leonardo da Vinci, Dürer, Raphael, Rembrandt, Ingres, Goya, Seurat, and Van Gogh--are included. The reader will gain insights into why artists made drawings, how they used the media available to them--including red chalk, watercolor, pen and ink, and pastel--and their techniques, such as hatching, stumping, squaring, and heightening. This beautiful and unpretentious book will have a wide appeal and will be especially invaluable for art students, practicing artists, and those who study art and art history.