Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when you do. art
Art is not what you see, but what you make others see. art
Art is vice. You don't marry it legitimately, you rape it. art
Edgar Degas Painter
- Gender: Male
- Citizenship: France
- Born: Jul 19, 1834
- Died: Sep 27, 1917
Edgar Degas; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas; was a French artist famous for his paintings, sculptures, prints, and drawings. He is especially identified with the subject of dance; more than half of his works depict dancers. He is regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism, although he rejected the term, preferring to be called a realist. He was a superb draftsman, and particularly masterly in depicting movement, as can be seen in his renditions of dancers, racecourse subjects and female nudes. His portraits are notable for their psychological complexity and for their portrayal of human isolation.
At the beginning of his career, he wanted to be a history painter, a calling for which he was well prepared by his rigorous academic training and close study of classic art. In his early thirties, he changed course, and by bringing the traditional methods of a history painter to bear on contemporary subject matter, he became a classical painter of modern life.