What I do is the result of reflection and the study of the great masters. He said, “There is no art less spontaneous than mine.

Where an “Impressionist” focused on light and rendered the impression a scene made upon the eye as seen on first view, Degas was fascinated with movement and carefully constructed his scenes of people and horses to display the figures and forms which interested him.ĭegas habitually made multiple sketches of what he wanted to portray, experimenting and trying for different effects. His paintings and technique were his own and quite different from his fellow exhibitors. While Degas has been classified as both an “Impressionist” and a “Post-Impressionist,” he doesn’t neatly fit into any particular stylistic group. His attention to the commonplace, displaying both its beauty and its ugliness, pioneered new subjects for artists.ĭegas exhibited with a group of dissident painters who called themselves “the Independents.” They were ridiculed by their critics as “Impressionists.” That name is now universally used to describe these artists, but it is now a term of praise. Degas’ paintings helped destroy the old order in art, both in form and style. However, while still revering the work of the masters, Degas moved beyond the accepted forms of classical painting to became one of the most innovative artists in the world. He received early recognition for his work. They no longer felt limited to famous people or heroic figures from mythology.Įdgar Degas (1834-1917) started as a classical painter, studying under a leading proponent of academic orthodoxy and taking trips to Italy to study the masters. Sculptors started making statues of normal people in actions of everyday life. Tell your child that the statue of this little girl changed the course of sculpture. Ask and help him or her answer the Quick Discussion Question. Show your child the paintings in the Learning Guide. He was interested in movement, which is one reason why he liked to paint dancers and horses. Perrot, see the Helpful Background section. Halévy commissioned sketches from Degas for a book. Degas sketched and the men knew each other. She danced for several years in the Paris Opéra’s corps de ballet. We don’t know the historical accuracy of the interactions among these people but a young girl named Marie Van Goethem was the model for the statue called “The Little Fourteen Year Old Dancer”. They are Marie, Jules Perrot (the dancing master), and Ludovic Halévy (the author).

Degas, at least three people in the movie are based on real-life characters. FICTION (SOAPS, DRAMAS, AND REALITY/SURVIVAL SHOW).FILM ADAPTATIONS OF NOVELS, SHORT STORIES, OR PLAYS.TALKING AND PLAYING WITH MOVIES: AGES 3-8.

Degas by Jacqueline Loumaye