Born: July 19, 1834
City and Country of Origin: Paris, France
Painting School: Impressionist
Art Training: Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris
Exhibitions:
Awards:
Major Works: "Dancing Class," "L'absinthe," "Blue Dancers"
Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas Biography: Although he is grouped with the Impressionists neither his style, his content nor his painting procedure is consistent with the other painters of the Impressionist movement. Unlike Monet, Sisley and Renoir, Degas is first and foremost a studio painter who was interested in the effects of light, but not so much in its realistic colorization. Even though Renoir was also a figurative painter his paintings were most definitely Impressionistic. Degas was most at home with subjects which were of interest to the new leisure class hence the title Boulevarde Realist. He painted scenes from the race track and was undobtedly the world's finest painter of ballet, particularly ballet schools. He was not considered a master until after his death. When his vision began to fail him during a stint in the army he turned to sculpture. He turned out numerous wax and clay figures which were not cast in bronze until after his death.
Died: 1917