The Life and Work of Edgar Degas and the Impressionists

Edgar Degas is one of the most beloved French Impressionists; studying his work provides an important insight into the social and cultural atmosphere that characterized France in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Born in 1834, Degas was a native of Paris. Inspired by the work of Eugene Delacroix and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Degas spent a great deal of time at the Louvre studying and copying the works of these artists, as well as that of their contemporaries.

Although Degas did exhibit in the Salon, an annual event in which jury-selected artworks were displayed, his work was never formally recognized. In 1873, artists Degas, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Berthe Morisot, and Paul Cézanne formed the Société Anonyme Coopérative à Capital Variable des Artistes, Peintres, Sculpteurs, Graveurs, etc . . . which was dedicated to the exhibition and sale of non-juried work. By 1874, Degas was widely viewed as one of the most prominent artists in the newly emerging group which was later called the Impressionists. Degas observed the working class in their environments and often painted laundresses, milliners and other bourgeois women doing their work. Degas is most famous for his countless studies of ballerinas and dancers. Degas often worked from memory rather than from observation and focused on his subjects’ poses and gestures. Degas’ work was featured in all eight of the Impressionist exhibitions (“Expositions de Peinture”) and he continued working until his death in 1917.

Consider having an Impressionist Summit which can be attended by Degas and his colleagues (e.g.: Monet, Manet, Seurat et al). Students can dress in the manner of the Impressionist they are representing and participate in a panel discussion in which a variety of topics can be addressed. Some questions that the esteemed panel might discuss and debate include:

• What is art? Who determines what is or is not art?
• What is beauty? Who determines this?
• Why must art be accepted before it can be displayed at the Salon?

What follows are more lessons and activities to help students learn about Degas and the Impressionist Movement.

Degas Lessons and Activities:

Edgar Degas and Clementine Hunter in Louisiana

This lesson offers an interesting opportunity to compare and contrast fine art and folk art. Students analyze the work of Edgar Degas and compare it with that of Clementine Hunter. In short, students analyze the differences between the work of an academically trained artist and a self-taught artist. Students also have a chance to create their own work in the style of one of these painters.

In the Times of the Impressionist Exhibitions (1874-1886)

The Musee d’Orsay, one of France’s finest museums, offers this lesson which provides a deeper understanding of the life and times of the Impressionist painters. Students learn more about realism, a movement that began before and continued along with Impressionism and about open air painting, a favorite method of the Impressionists.

French Impressionism

This lesson provides an excellent look at the Impressionist Movement and can be taught by language teachers, art teachers or history teachers. Students not only hone their visual thinking strategies, but also gain presentation experience and practice researching and analyzing information.