Edgar Degas

In 1880's when his eyesight began to fail, Degas began increasingly to work in two new media that did not require strong visual insight. He studied the movement of ballet dancers, milliners, and laundresses, which he would later use in his portraits.

Degas was born into a well-to-do banking family on July 19, 1834, in Paris. After 1865, he gave up academic subjects to turn to contemporary themes.

Sadly, Degas was not well known to the public, and his true artistic standing was not shown until after his death. He started sculpturing and using pastels. He usually sculpted ballet dancers and female nudes. He was a clear observer of humanity as well, especially of women. In sculptors, as in his paintings, he attempted to catch the action of the movement. He attempted to catch his subjects in poses as natural and spontaneous as those recorded in photographs. Theatrical subjects, such as ballet, cafés, music halls, racecourses, and etc, attracted him. Here is where Degas developed his great ability that was to be an outstanding. But unlike the impressionists, he preferred to work in the studio and did not want to study about light that fascinated them.