Degas: The Man and His Art (Abrams Discoveries) [Paperback]

Henry Loyrette (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1993

An illustrated look at the life and work of the great impressionist painter presents reproductions of his work and discusses his influence on the art world, his personal life, his love of opera, and his famous friends. Original.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

Product Details

• Paperback: 191 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; Edition Unstated edition (March 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810928973
• ISBN-13: 978-0810928978
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #698,545 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #42 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Impressionism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest Artist Of The 19th Century, April 26, 2003

By 

Rachel Garret (Beverly Hills) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Degas: The Man and His Art (Abrams Discoveries) (Paperback)

Edgar Degas has a special place in my heart. No other artist used as many women as Degas did for subject. He is my favorite Impressionist artist and I regard his art as the finest, most realistic, meaningful and most beautiful of the late 19th century. Degas is most famous for his paintings of ballerinas, but he was a prolific artist and seemed to live only for his art.
When he died, he expressed his final wish: that during his funeral service, speeches must indicate that his greatest love was art and that he should be remembered as a great artist.

That's exactly how we remember him. This book provides a plethora of his paintings, and details about his life. It's very sad that this book is close to becoming out of print. I am honored to be the first to review this book. The cover painting is "L'Etoile" or "The Star on Stage". Degas painted ballerinas in the French opera-theaters in the 1870's. He was influenced by Japenese prints which enabled him to draw harmony and space. He was able to capture the transience of life, fleeting moments, as the ballerinas danced or moved in the stage during a performance. He also painted them during rehearsals and waiting in flocks in the wings. The pastels and oils were vibrant, colorful and made the ballerinas look nearly surreal in their artificial theatrical surrounding scenery. For contrast to the light and bright colors, he included gentlemen in dark suites waiting for the ballerinas backstage or observing them from a distance.

Edgar Degas, a gifted intellectual, had many friends in the art and literary world. Among his friends were the Naturalist writer Emile Zola and the Impressionist artist Edouard Manet. Degas participated in the Impressionist Exhibitions, was part of the movement by all means, although he considered himself a Realist painter of natural movement and contemporary society. He was a modern man in many respects and it was Degas who personally defended and helped Mary Cassat, the feminist and professional artist from America, exhibit with the Impressionists. This was a time when the art world was still very male-dominated. Mary Cassat and Edgar Degas remained good friends for many years.

This book seems to be Edgar Degas life through his paintings. Here, we see everything about him and we discover how unique and interesting he was. He never married, there was never any evidence that he fell in love, and although many accused him of voyeurism and presenting women as objects, this is not true. He loved women and respected them and treated them not only as works of great art but examples of people in motion. Later on, his subjects were prostitutes (albeit veiled by the guise of elegant high-class women in cafes), nightclub singers, and "bathers" as they fussed over their bodies and hair or other bedroom objects. Edgar Degas was incredibly gifted and a fine pro-feminist painter, despite what others might think.

To sum up everything he stood for, Degas himself said his art was intended to give "truth an illusion of madness". He was a true artist in the very sense of the word. No artist of the 19th century, in France, could compare to his dedication and his intelligence. Viva Edgar Degas! His paintings, originals, are still on display in the Louvre and in the Musee D'Orsay in Paris. A trip there is a pilgrimage to ballet lovers and fans of Degas paintings.