What was Edgar Degas goal?

What was Edgar Degas goal?

Amy M Haddad

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Aug 27, 2015

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3 min read

Edgar Degas: A Realist Painter

What was Edgar Degas goal?
Edgar Degas, Little Dancer Aged Fourteen.

Many consider Edgar Degas an Impressionist artist a painter of modern life. That he was, though different than some of his contemporaries. He called himself a Realist. Rather than painting plein air landscapes, using color, light and shade to capture fleeting moments, as Monet and other Impressionists famously did, Degas captured everyday movements in the theater, at the ballet or the cafés he frequented. It is a distinction made clear at the Art Institute of Chicagos exhibition, Degas: At the Track, On the Stage.

Degas was interested in human form. So bathing scenes depicting a woman getting in or out of a bathtub, for example, were common, as were ballet and racetrack subjects. In fact, Degas alone produced some 1,500 images of ballet dancers. Given his interest in automatic and unconscious movement, Degas wanted to capture a figure caught off guard or unaware of being looked at.

The paintings and sculptures that fill this intimate, one-gallery show reflect the Realist artist Degas saw himself as. Ballet dancers and scenes at the racetrack are the two main subjects in this exhibition, as the title alludes to. There is one piece, however, that visitors immediately flock to. Its the one that brought Degas much criticism, but now is highly regarded: Little Dancer Aged Fourteen. This piece alone steals the show.

In part this is because of the controversial history that accompanies it. Although Little Dancer is posed, her attributes are strikingly real perhaps too real for viewers in 1881. Critics condemned the sculpture for the ballerinas thin, unadorned and homely features. Far from idealized, this is just an ordinary working-class girl, as the National Gallery of Art puts it. With realism as a goal, Degas achieved his aim. At the same time, the sculpture caused so much outrage that Degas did not display the piece again during his lifetime.

But Little Dancer is also compelling because visitors see it through a different lens today. Despite the modest dress and humble characteristics, this young ballerina exudes confidence not an elitist attitude, but poise and self-assurance. She maintains a deliberate, upright pose; her right foot forward with authority; chin held high and eyes facing up. Visitors admire such conviction, which makes this sculpture come alive.

What was Edgar Degas goal?
Edgar Degas, Steeplechase: The Fallen Jockey.

The second notable piece on show is Degass painting, Steeplechase: The Fallen Jockey. It depicts a jockey having fallen from his horse, as other riders speed by. Viewers anticipate the next scene: the young jockey gets trampled by galloping horses from behind. Degas could have captured a glorified moment, say the final stretch of the race when one horse and jockey are declared victors. But he instead captures a grim reality.

Degas: At the Track, On the Stage is an enjoyable show for its focus on two repeated subjects in Degass oeuvre. Although there are other highly regarded paintings in this show, Little Dancer and Steeplechase alone make it worth the trip.

Degas: At the Track, On the Stage is on show through February 2016.