Reviews

Degas By Himself: Drawings, Paintings, Writings by Edgar Degas

ccmik's review

5.0

I suppose I have been lucky to stumble upon quite a few historical kindred spirits in my life, perhaps fated to discover them. In this case, the seed planted initially by the simplest thing, a print on an art kit gifted to me as a very young child, Degas' "Swaying Dancer (Dancer in Green)," then of course by my own dedicated study of ballet throughout my life, how could I not be inevitably drawn to the famous dancers of Degas? I bought this book on a whim 8 years ago while working on a high school project for which I had chosen Degas, and I found myself fascinated by the artist himself (as relayed in his writing to friends and family and recorded in the journals of those close to him), his strong opinions, his quirks, his stubborn sense of integrity, his warmth and his wit, just as much as I was fascinated by his use of color and ability to capture life and movement and a sort of transcendent and timeless modernity in his art. I think Degas is frequently unfairly summarized as a curmudgeonly sort, which he evidently was at times, but was of course much more than that, and in fact often quite the opposite. This volume compiles a rich portrait of the artist that you can evaluate for yourself, and I found so much wisdom, melancholy, and amusement alike in the letters and anecdotes and aphorisms within. Plus, of course, pages and pages of inspiring art.