Edgar
Degas was born on July 19th, 1834 into an affluent
Paris banking family. As a young man, he studied
at the École des Beaux-Arts. While there, he
developed the great drawing ability essential
to his style. Originally painting classic academic
subjects, Degas switched after 1865 to more
of his age's contemporary themes. Degas is world-wide
known as the great master of figures in movement,
being a superb designer and a great innovator
in the art of portrait. His works are currently
celebrated for its composition, originallity
and his unrivalled technique.
Although some critics of his time had early
recognized the artistic qualities of that ‘bizarre’
young man, he only attained real success in
the last years of his life, but the true acclaim
came only after his death. This was mainly due
to the fact that Degas, keeping aloof as he
used, rarely showed his works.
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