January 3, 2025
Editor's note: These artist spotlights are part of a series of posts examining the intersection of AI with art. They include a brief summary of the artist generated by AI (but also checked for accuracy by a human) and images generated by AI "in the style" of the artist. They do NOT include actual images by the artist (other websites already do this much better than I could).
Edgar Degas (1834 - 1917)
Edgar Degas was a French artist and one of the most influential figures of the Impressionist movement, though he preferred to call himself a Realist or Independent. Renowned for his innovative depictions of movement, particularly in ballet dancers, horse races, and everyday Parisian life, Degas excelled in multiple media, including painting, sculpture, drawing, and printmaking. His work combined a keen observational eye with an experimental approach to composition and technique, making him a pioneer of modern art.
Early Life
Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas was born on July 19, 1834, in Paris, France, into a wealthy banking family. His privileged upbringing allowed him to pursue a classical education and cultivate an early interest in art. He enrolled at the prestigious Lycée Louis-le-Grand and later briefly studied law at his family's insistence. However, Degas abandoned legal studies to focus on art.
In 1855, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts, where he trained under Louis Lamothe, a disciple of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Ingres's emphasis on precise draftsmanship and the importance of line profoundly influenced Degas's artistic development. Between 1856 and 1859, Degas traveled to Italy, where he studied Renaissance masterpieces and created copies of works by artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael, solidifying his technical skill and deepening his appreciation for classical art.
Artistic Style
Degas’s style evolved from classical academicism to a groundbreaking synthesis of realism, modernity, and abstraction. While his early works were history paintings influenced by Renaissance art, his focus shifted to contemporary Parisian life in the 1860s and 1870s.
Key features of Degas’s artistic style include:
Focus on Movement: Degas's fascination with the human figure in motion is most evident in his iconic series of ballerinas, which capture dynamic poses and fleeting moments with extraordinary precision.
Innovative Composition: Inspired by Japanese prints and photography, Degas employed unconventional cropping, asymmetry, and dramatic perspectives, challenging traditional compositional norms.
Experimentation with Mediums: He used oil paints, pastels, and monotypes with equal mastery. Pastel became a favored medium later in his career, offering vibrancy and immediacy to his works.
Observation of Modern Life: Degas captured the essence of 19th-century Parisian society, portraying scenes of theaters, cafés, horse races, laundresses, and milliners, reflecting the vitality and complexity of urban life.
Degas rejected the plein air approach of his Impressionist peers, preferring to work in his studio, relying on sketches, memory, and imagination.
Notable Works
Degas created a vast and varied body of work, with several iconic pieces standing out:
"The Bellelli Family" (1858–1867): A poignant early masterpiece, this family portrait blends emotional depth with classical composition.
"The Absinthe Drinker" (1876): A study of urban alienation, this painting portrays a man and woman in a Paris café, evoking a sense of loneliness and detachment.
"The Dance Class" (1874): One of Degas's most celebrated works, this painting captures the grace and discipline of ballerinas in rehearsal, showcasing his command of composition and light.
"Little Dancer of Fourteen Years" (1881): A striking bronze and mixed-media sculpture, this work was revolutionary for its use of real fabric and hair, challenging conventions of academic sculpture.
"Jockeys in the Rain" (1886): A testament to his interest in equestrian subjects, this painting demonstrates his ability to render movement and atmosphere.
Later Life and Legacy
Degas faced increasing isolation in his later years, exacerbated by his worsening eyesight and reclusive tendencies. He stopped exhibiting with the Impressionists after 1886 but continued to work prolifically. His declining vision led him to focus more on sculpture, where touch and memory played significant roles in his creative process.
Though he never married, Degas maintained a network of close friends and collaborators, including Édouard Manet, Mary Cassatt, and Berthe Morisot. His legacy as an innovator in capturing modern life and movement remains unparalleled.
Degas died on September 27, 1917, in Paris at the age of 83. His work profoundly influenced subsequent generations of artists, from Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Pablo Picasso to modern and contemporary artists exploring themes of movement and urban life. Today, Degas is celebrated as one of the greatest chroniclers of 19th-century Paris and a revolutionary force in modern art.
This summary was written by The Artist Biography Writer, a GPT created by the editor in ChatGPT on January 3, 2025. A human double-checked the factual assertions.
How well does AI "interpret" Edgar Degas?
Using "in the style of Edgar Degas" will likely produce some version of women dancing, most likely ballet dancers wearing pale blue tutus. The image may or may not have impressionistic influences. As usual, Flux provides more variation and, as with Mary Cassatt, SD 1.5 appears to be closer to the style of the artist.
What ChatGPT 4o Has to Say
The images in this post (including the image 'from the archives' below) were uploaded to ChatGPT 4o and ChatGPT was asked to act like an art critic and to comment on how well the images do, and do not, correspond with the artist's style. Here is what it said:
Analysis of How the Images Align with Edgar Degas' Art
First Image – Ballet Dancers in RehearsalThis image corresponds closely to Edgar Degas' art in its subject matter and composition. Degas is renowned for his depictions of ballet dancers, often shown rehearsing or performing. The image reflects his focus on the beauty and discipline of dance, with a naturalistic arrangement of figures and a sense of spatial depth. However, the polished, photorealistic rendering of this image departs from Degas' painterly technique. Degas used loose, expressive brushwork and often incorporated pastel, lending his works a softer, more ephemeral quality. Additionally, while the light in this image is serene, Degas often depicted more dramatic lighting, creating tension and mood.
Second Image – Two Women Playing Violins This image bears some thematic resemblance to Degas' interest in contemporary Parisian life, particularly in capturing women engaged in cultural or artistic pursuits. However, this is not a subject Degas explored extensively. The clean, refined rendering and emphasis on elegant femininity differ from Degas' approach, which often included rawer, more candid depictions of women in intimate or everyday moments. The crisp detailing also contrasts with the spontaneity of Degas’ style.
Third Image – Floating Woman with Birds This image diverges significantly from Degas’ work. While visually striking, the fantastical, surrealist elements—such as the floating figure and the scattering birds—are far removed from Degas’ focus on realism and the physical world. Degas was deeply concerned with capturing the movements and gestures of the human body in naturalistic settings, and he rarely strayed into symbolic or surreal territory. This image reflects more of a contemporary, dreamlike aesthetic than the grounded observations of Degas.
Fourth Image – Dancers in a Studio This image is the closest in spirit and execution to Edgar Degas' work. The subject of ballet dancers, the muted tones, and the informal, behind-the-scenes setting are hallmarks of his style. The composition, with dancers in various poses and a sense of movement captured mid-action, reflects his fascination with the transitory moments of preparation. The soft textures and atmospheric light also align with Degas’ use of pastel. This image strongly evokes his iconic works such as "The Rehearsal" or "Dancers in the Wings."
How the Images Diverge from Edgar Degas' Art
Photorealism: With the exception of the fourth image, the images exhibit a photorealistic quality that contrasts with Degas’ loose, Impressionistic brushwork and use of texture. Degas was less concerned with fine detail and more focused on the interplay of color, light, and movement.
Emphasis on Elegance Over Grit: Degas often depicted the labor and physicality behind the beauty of ballet. His dancers were not always idealized; he showed them adjusting their shoes, stretching, or resting between rehearsals. The polished, idealized portrayal in the first and second images lacks the raw, unvarnished realism of Degas’ approach.
Fantastical Elements: The third image's surreal, dreamlike quality is antithetical to Degas' grounded realism and observational style. He rarely depicted scenes outside of real-world Parisian life or the naturalistic settings of the theater and racetrack.
Lack of Experimentation in Composition: Degas frequently employed unconventional compositional techniques inspired by photography and Japanese prints, such as dramatic cropping, off-center subjects, and unusual perspectives. These images, while visually appealing, adhere to more conventional compositions that lack the dynamic innovation seen in his work.
Conclusion
The fourth image aligns most closely with Edgar Degas’ art, reflecting his themes, techniques, and approach to composition. The first image captures the essence of his ballet scenes but diverges stylistically. The second and third images, while beautifully rendered, stray significantly from Degas’ focus on realism, candidness, and subtle compositions. While these works draw inspiration from his themes, they lack the painterly spontaneity and experimental spirit that define Degas' legacy.
From the Archives
This image was created roughly two years prior to this post.
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