'The Dancing Ballerina' By Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas (19 July 1834 – 27 September 1917), born
Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, was a French artist famous for his work in
painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing. He is regarded as one of
the founders of Impressionism although he rejected the term, and
preferred to be called a realist. A superb draughtsman, he is especially
identified with the subject of the dance, and over half his works depict
dancers. These display his mastery in the depiction of movement, as do
his racecourse subjects and female nudes. His portraits are notable for
their psychological complexity and depiction of human isolation.
Early in his career, his ambition was to be a history painter, a calling
for which he was well prepared by his rigorous academic training and
close study of classic art. In his early thirties, he changed course,
and by bringing the traditional methods of a history painter to bear on
contemporary subject matter, he became a classical painter of modern
life.
Information taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Degas May 2010