A favorite sculpture... Degas at the National Gallery
Edgar Degas is an artist I admire for his painting, drawing AND sculpture... more and more, every time I see another of his pieces in person.
For me, a particular attraction is his beautiful color harmonies and strong compositions. If you know anything about me at all, color and shape are some PRIME reasons I paint, so those qualities are sure to catch my eye!
A favorite painting - Degas at the National Gallery
I have read some 'shady things' about him personally, (but he was way before my time to know him personally!) I DO know, I learn from seeing his work and appreciate that.
I use a quote of his on our website....
"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see."
Another of his quotes that I really like....
"Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when you do."
(Anyone who paints, understands this deeply!)
Degas - Musee D'Orsay
He was born in 1834 in Paris - his father a banker and his mother an American from New Orleans. Although I have seen a variety of subjects in his work, he is best known for his depictions of ballet dancers. His interest in this particular subject intensified in the 1870's and he produced around 1500 works on the subject. He lived his life in Paris and died in 1917.
Degas - Musee D'Orsay
Enjoy this sampling of his work - from my visits to the Musee D'Orsay in Paris and the National Gallery in Washington D.C. Most recently, I saw some of his works in Los Angeles when I visited earlier this month. Hope you are fortunate enough to see his work in person as well. Pay particular attention to his use of color and those strong compositions!
If you'd like to extend your moment on Degas, click here.
Degas - Musee D'Orsay