Edgar Degas staged his paintings like a director and developed spectacular perspectives, radical images, and fleeting spaces. Numerous images of his paintings, pastels, drawings, and sculptures show his sensational work that was far ahead of its time. Enjoy hundreds of full page colour reproductions of such enticing masterpieces as Three Girls Bathing, La Toilette, dancers wearing salmon coloured skirts, Friends at the Theatre, Woman Putting on Gloves, ballet dancers in rehearsal and behind the scenes, a naked woman combing her long red hair, another adjusting her hat in the mirror and many nude women, often after a bath or lying on a bed or taking breakfast. Most commonly associated with the birth of the Impressionist movement in mid 19th century Paris, Edgar Degas (1834-1917) in fact defied easy categorisation and instead developed a unique style, strongly influenced by Old Masters, the body in motion and everyday urban life. The elder scion of a wealthy family, Degas co-founded a series of exhibitions of "Impressionist" art, but soon disassociated himself from the group in pursuit of a more realist approach. His subjects centred on the teeming, noisy streets of Paris, as well as its leisure entertainments such as horse racing, cabarets, and, most particularly, ballet. With often ambitious, off-kilter vantage points, his images of ballerinas numbered approximately 1,500 works, all deeply invested in the physicality and the discipline of dance. Through illustrations of Foyer de la Danse (1872), Musicians in the Orchestra (1872) and many more, this book provides an essential overview. Features a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his cultural and historical importance, a concise biography, and approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions. 21 x 26cm, 96 pages.
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