Artist Edgar Degas lived from 1834 to 1917 in France during a time of great artists who were forging new paths in art.  One of his close friends’ was the painter Monet who had his own unique style of painting.  Both took inspiration from each other but kept their individuality.  This is an exciting aspect of the arts so take advantage of exploring past master artists and the artist down the street from you.  The possibilities are endless.

Degas was known for his figures that were shown in motion, a “snapshot” of a moment in time. He did lots of sketching and drawing throughout his life time. Degas said, “Drawing is the artist’s spontaneous expression, a species of writing: it reveals, better than does painting, his true personality.”

His paintings had very creative compositions that were asymmetrical and had unusual visual angles; showing sometimes only a part of a figure or the back of a person heading into the picture plane.  He stated, “No art is less spontaneous than mine.  What I do is the result of reflection and study of the great masters.”  So take that trip to your local art museum or galleries and enjoy!