Degas Dancers Edgar Degas was born in Paris

Degas’ Dancers

Edgar Degas was born in Paris, France in 1843 to a wealthy family. He went to law school but decided to be an artist instead. He became one of the leaders of the Impressionists, and was feared for his sharp tongue.

Degas spent most of his time studying horse riders and ballet dancers. However, in his paintings, he was more interested in showing them behind the scenes, not during the actual performances.

“Decidedly that watering can is idiotic. I must get rid of it. ” -Degas

His art training was mostly in photography. His paintings and drawings look like photographs of a moment in time. The strongest part of Degas’ work is his use of composition. A composition the careful arrangement of objects on the paper.

In Degas’ compositions, much like in photography, he rarely places the subjects in the center of the work. They are always placed to the side or in the corner. Sometimes, they even go off of the page. Back

1. Draw an action person using bubbles. Your Job: 2. Create people on yellow paper 3. Add details to people. 4. Cut person out. 5. Think about your composition. 6. Glue to gray paper. 7. Fill in background to show where the person is. Back

Your work must have: At least 1 person. Person cannot be in middle of paper. Part of someone going off of the page. Details drawn in crayon. A background.