Edgar Degas

Impressionist master Edgar Degas (1834-1917) captured movement and modern Parisian life with unmatched skill. Though he exhibited with the Impressionists, he preferred calling himself a Realist. Ballet dancers became his signature subject, appearing in over 1,500 works across paintings, pastels, and sculptures. His unconventional compositions, asymmetrical cropping, and unusual viewing angles drew influence from Japanese prints and photography. Degas excelled at rendering figures in motion, whether dancers rehearsing, jockeys racing, or women bathing.

Born to a wealthy Parisian banking family, Degas trained at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts under Louis Lamothe, a former pupil of Ingres. Meeting Ingres in 1855 proved formative; the master advised him to "draw lines, and still more lines." Degas traveled to Italy, studying Old Masters before establishing himself in Paris. Deteriorating eyesight plagued him from his forties, eventually leading to near blindness. He shifted increasingly to sculpture and pastels as his vision failed. The Musee d'Orsay and Metropolitan Museum of Art hold major collections, including bronze casts of his wax sculptures discovered after his death.