Last week Charlotte and I dove into the works of Edgar Degas. Almost a whole room is dedicated to Degas in the National Gallery. A French painter, Degas worked in the mid to late 19th century with an influence from Impressionists like Manet. His subject matter commonly portrayed contemporary life, while experimenting with composition and color.
One of painting done by Degas in the middle of his career was Helene Rouart in her Father’s Study (1886). I found myself staring at this painting for a long time, trying to understand it. For a simple painting with simple context, the interpretations are complex. Immediately my eyes were drawn to Helene, the subject of the painting. I noticed how her head seems small in proportion to her body. My eyes went next to the enormous chair in front of her, that presumably is the chair her father sits in in his study. After seeing this, I recognized how Degas used disproportions to show the relationship between Helene and her father. Helene seems to the viewer to be shrinking behind the chair, giving you the sense that Helene sits in the shadows behind her father. The colors used are also suggestive of the idea that Helene and her father don’t have a strong, happy relationship. The shades of red and brown are sort of dark and depressing. You get a real sense of sadness from the Helene’s dark clothing and dark red hair. Degas uses the same colors of Helene’s dress and hair for the wallpaper which confirms the sense of Helene fading into the background behind her father.
You can see the Impressionist techniques Degas uses in his experimentation with color, but also through his obvious brush strokes. In the wallpaper especially you can see dabs of other colors, something prevalent in Monet paintings. Degas was influenced greatly by another Impressionist, Manet, who was a friend of his. Helene Rouart in her Father’s Study (1886) reminds me of Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (1882) mainly because of the facial expressions of the girls in the pictures. Both girls look sad and helpless in a way. Also both paintings have a mirror in them which give the viewer a strange sense of perspective. Degas uses warmer colors, but both pieces have little detail in the objects around the subject.
Degas is an interesting painter with a lot of thought provoking work. His style, with a touch of Impressionism, forces the viewer to think deeper on the subject matter he’s painted.
- Kasey & Charlotte
takeonlondon 