Degas: His Life and Works in 500 Images: An illustrated exploration of the artist, his life and context with a gallery of 300 of his finest paintings and sculptures
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,History & Criticism
Degas: His Life and Works in 500 Images: An illustrated exploration of the artist, his life and context with a gallery of 300 of his finest paintings and sculptures Details
A comprehensive reference book on the life and works of Edgar Degas, acknowledged as one of the greatest masters of all time. It offers a fascinating account of the artist's life, education, artistic influences and legacy, set in context of the turbulent social and political times in which he lived. Featuring an extensive gallery of his work, set in chronological order of completion and accompanied by an analysis of the style and content of each work.
Reviews
I used this book to learn more about Degas' art. The book provides information about his life and images of his work along with notes about the individual paintings. I believe that some of the notes are inaccurate or incomplete. For example, the painting entitled in the book "Young Woman Arranging Flowers," states that it belongs in a private collection. In fact it is a portrait of Estelle De Gas (born Musson) in the permanent collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art, and is a portrait of Degas' brother's wife. It was painted while Degas was in New Orleans. Also, the author omits any mention of the story behind the painting of Edouard Manet, where his wife is seated at the piano. The right side of the painting is unfinished: Manet didn't like the way that Degas portrayed his wife and cut her profile (and perhaps the piano) out of the painting. Degas patched the canvas but never completed the work. I wonder what else is inaccurate, or missing. I would expect more from such a lavishly Illustrated book written by an art historian.
