Oh my, what a beautiful canvas.
Wouldn’t it be better not to paint on it at all?
Degas
An Impressionist cynic who found brilliance within elegant dance
A ballerina who was the youngest member of Impressionism.She’s a sarcastic girl who always acts a little aloof and says exactly what’s on her mind, which sometimes leads to huge fights with her companions. But that sharp tongue is also a reflection of how uncompromising she is when it comes to beauty.
Style
ImpressionismHometown
Kingdom of France
Classics
- "Étoile(The Star)"
- "The Ballet Class"
- "The Absinthe Drinker" etc.
This is the Degas piece!
Étoile(The Star)
One of the most famous works among Degas’s ballet paintings. “Étoile” means “star,” referring to a leading ballerina. Degas was fascinated by the depiction of movement and saw ballerinas as a kind of ideal form. Emerging from the muted tones of the stage, the dancer appears almost as though she herself is scattering light into the air. Incidentally, the man in the black suit peering from backstage is her patron. In the ballet world of the time, such patrons held considerable influence.
Monotype is a kind of printmaking where you paint onto a smooth surface like glass, then press paper onto it to transfer the image. Since you can only get one proper print out of it, it’s called “mono”-type, as in “just one.”…Huh. So people nowadays can get by without even knowing something that basic.
Year
1918
Medium
Monotype and pastel on paper
Dimension
58 cm x 42 cm
Collection
Musée d'Orsay
（France)
Who is Degas?
Edgar De Gas
One of the defining painters of Impressionism. Unlike many of the other Impressionists, who focused on outdoor landscapes, he was deeply interested in human movement and produced many works capturing fleeting moments of horses, dancers, and performers. His ballerina paintings in particular became widely celebrated and are now considered his signature works. Though notoriously difficult and often at odds with fellow Impressionists, he endured numerous hardships—including deteriorating eyesight and family debts—while continuing to create art throughout his life.
Full Name
Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas
Born
July 19, 1834
Died
September 27, 1917(aged 83)