Degas: The Impressionist that Wasn’t

When is an Impressionist not an Impressionist? Answer: when that Impressionist is Edgar Degas.

The Little Fourteen Year-Old Dancer.

Sculpture.

Courtesy of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptek, Copenhagen.

Degas is considered to be one of the key participants in the Impressionist movement; however, he took objection to this and tried to distance himself as much as possible from being characterised in this manner. Whilst his contemporaries delighted in spontaneity, bright colours, and the effect of light, Degas maintained that his art was completely devoid of spontaneity.

The study of the old masters and an interest in realism and composition, this is what shaped the artist’s work and style. This evolution in personal style and approach to art is reflected in the change in genre from his early to latter works. Initially seeking out a technique to rival that of his revered El Greco (Scene of War in the Middle Ages) his stylistic leanings then noticeably altered to include an interest in portraying events, people, and places in a realist manner.

Character studies were a particular favourite of Degas, L’Absinthe, The Ballet Instructor, and At the Stock Exchange are all notable examples of this. Whilst expressing scorn for those of his contemporaries who chose to work outdoors, Degas chose to concentrate his efforts in the perfection of many mediums. Not only content to master oil work, the artist applied himself to the use of pastel, etching, photography, drawing, and sculpture. The Little Fourteen Year-Old Dancer was the sole sculpture which he exhibited during his lifetime, and could perhaps be said to be a culmination of his studies, drawings, paintings, and examination of individual character.

Degas always insisted that to be an artist one must live alone. True or not, this belief translated in his attitude regarding his inclusion by critics in the Impressionist group, and he tried as much as possible to distance his work from theirs. However, it is undeniable that Degas was a true master of his craft, within the Impressionist movement or without.


To learn more about the man and the artist, be sure to visit the Ny Carlsberg Glyptek, Copenhagen for the current exhibition Degas' Method. On display until the 1 September, this is one exhibition not to be missed. The perfect addition for all your Degas-inspired research is Nathalia Brodskaya’s Degas. Be sure to pick up a copy!

- Fiona Torsch

Let them eat ice cream!

The 17^th century was a busy one. Full of territorial disputes around the world, English colonisation of the Americas, Japanese isolation, the fall of the Ming Dynasty in China… I could go on. But I won’t. More importantly, the world was (still) heavily focused on religious art, though many artists started to branch out and become a bit more narcissistic, here’s lookin’ at you Rembrandt and your many self-portraits.

Do you know what else came to be in the 17th century? Ice cream. You (probably) read it here first! No proper recipe for ice cream, though various other versions previously existed in Persia, China, and Italy for example, appeared until 1674 in France.

 


“Welcome back! Could we get a little creamed ice after this lovely meal, JC?”
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Supper at Emmaus, 1601.
Oil and tempera on canvas, 141 x 196.2 cm.
The National Gallery, London.

 

Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Surely the invention of ice cream stirred a deeper belief in God and Jesus Christ – who or what else could inspire such a cold, creamy, delicious treat? Could it be that artists of the time were so overjoyed with appreciation that they could find no other way to express their praise except to paint on the canvasses closest to the Heavens at the time: ceilings?

 


“Bless you, child. Go forth and enjoy ice cream; but eat slowly or you will get a brain freeze.”
El Greco, The Saviour, 1610-1614.
Oil on canvas, mounted on wood, 100.4 x 80.2 cm.
Museo del Greco, Toledo.

 

The Musée Carnavalet is exhibiting The Colours of Heaven now through 24 February 2013, a collection of paintings, drawings, and engravings devoted to Paris’ many churches. Don’t worry; you won’t have to crane your neck to look upwards too much. And if you’d like to see more religious devotion, check out the beautifully illustrated ebook, Christ in Art by Ernest Renan.

-Le Lorrain Andrews