Description

A revolutionary in pastels

The pastels of Edgar Degas are characterized by an intoxicating interplay of drawing, light and color. With Breakfast after the Bath (c. 1895–98) and Three Dancers (c. 1903) the Fondation Beyeler owns two masterly pastels from Edgar Degas’ late work. Degas explored the movement of the human body and its representation in a wide variety of media over many decades. Ballet dancers, horses and jockeys, Parisian night life, and women at their toilette are among the quintessential themes of his oeuvre.

Degas saw and portrayed the female body in an entirely new way. A revolutionary in his use of color, Degas remained traditional in his draughtsmanship. His clearly drawn outlines directly contradict the principles of his Impressionist colleagues, to whose ranks he is nonetheless often assigned. Edgar Degas occupies an isolated and highly individual position within the sphere of his artist contemporaries. This is precisely what makes him so interesting.

ANSICHTEN no. 8 takes an in-depth look at the artistic oeuvre of Edgar Degas. Detailed descriptions, technical data, special features, background information, and questions of interpretation all fall within the scope of this booklet.

ANSICHTEN is aimed at art lovers and teachers looking to engage in greater depth with the works of the Fondation Beyeler.

The journal also features a practical section, which presents ideas, tasks and experiments that may be carried out at the museum, at school or at home.

ANSICHTEN playfully provides readers with thorough knowledge of the works of the Beyeler Collection.