Author Description

"French artist Hilaire Germaine Edgar Degas (1834-1917) is best known for his studies of the human figure, his ballet dancers, his portraits, his occupational groups. In his drawings, Degas' working methods can be seen and studied and his always human figures can be enjoyed as much if not more than in the finished works. Reproduced in this book are 100 of Degas' drawings, including eight in full color. They range from early studies to portraits of Manet, Madame Hertel, Madame Camus, Duranty and others to sketches of dancers and nudes, race track scenes, travel scenes and other works from 1856 to 1900. Through following the drawings, you can see Degas' outstanding way of capturing scenes and see him developing the careful casualness that was to make him foremost of the Realist-Romantic artists. Also can be seen are his new uses of space and artistic focus, qualities he received from other artists in the Impressionist group. There are works in varied media - pencil, crayon, pastel, charcoal and many others. And there are studies for paintings and sculptures that show his working methods. Most of these drawings cannot be seen anywhere else in published form"--Back cover.