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Edgar Degas (1834-1917)
France, c. 1878
Oil on canvas
40 x 28 cm
Inv. no. 420
The subject - the artist in his studio - in this case the painter Henri Michel-Lévy (1844-1914), whom Degas met around 1867, is here given a particularly interesting approach. The complex composition – the mannequin on the floor is mirrored by the figure on the painting The Regattas, to the left of Michel-Lévy – seems to suggest an original interpretation of the relationship between truth and illusion. In this sense, it may be a critical reflection on art’s raison d’être. The painting depicted in sketch form on the right is an Impressionist version of a fête galante.
Set inside a contained, lonely space, the subject’s off-centre position and unexpected perspective disturb the otherwise rather static work. This unique scene also – perhaps mainly – projects an image of Degas as a lucid, detached and pessimistic observer of daily life.
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