Edgar Degas (1834-1917) France

Edgar Degas is a French visual artist, graphic artist and sculptor. Degas studied at École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. His early works were inspired by Japanese woodcuts and by Edouard Manet. On the one hand, Degas’ motifs reflect an interest in sports and theater, but on the other hand his work was closely linked with the impressionists, given his interest in plein air painting and fleeting moments.
Degas is most recognized for his ballet dancer motifs, which were painted in light pastels. He painted them in motion or through insight into the life of a dancer. His images convey an amazing sense of movement, making him one of the early modernists. In later years, when his vision began to fail, Degas turned to sculpture instead and successfully captured movement in this medium, as well. Degas was one of the first to use the technique called monotypes, in which each print is unique since the plate could only be used once. This technique was a good fit with Degas’ rapid and animated brushstrokes. Edgar Degas’s work is represented in spaces such as the Louvre in Paris and Glyptoteket in Copenhagen.