Painting by Numbers - Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas (19 July 1834 - 27 September 1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Degas also produced bronze sculptures, engravings and drawings. He is particularly associated with the theme of dance as more than half of his works depict dancers. Although Degas is considered one of the founders of Impressionism, he rejected the term, preferring to be called a realist.He was a superb draughtsman, and particularly good at representing movement, as can be seen in his depictions of female dancers and nudes. In addition to ballet dancers and bathers, Degas painted race horses and racing jockeys, as well as portraits. His portraits are notable for their psychological complexity and for their depiction of human isolation.Early in his career, Degas wanted to be a history painter, a vocation for which he was well prepared by his rigorous academic training and extensive study of classical art. In his early thirties, he changed course and, by applying the traditional methods of a history painter to contemporary subjects, became a classical painter of modern life.
