Edgar Degas, the phenomenal artist who painted until he lost his sight

CAIRO – 20 July 2022: Born on July 19, 1834 in Paris, Edgar Degas was a plastic artist who loved drawing and sculpting since his early childhood, and later became one of the pioneers of the Impressionist Movement.

At a very young age, Degas' drawing skills appeared. And despite his great passion for the art of drawing, he tried to continue his studies in law, but could not. He left it in 1853, to devote himself to the art he loved.

From that time onwards, Degas visited the Louvre repeatedly, with his father mostly, as he was the one that fed his infatuation with art. In the Louvre, he was able to meet and make friends with pioneers of fine art at the time, such as Félix-Joseph Barrias, and Wanger, among others, and could learn about the basics of fine art and sculpture from their experience.

He then embarked on numerous trips to learn about art in various countries around the world. He traveled to Italy, where he had the opportunity to see the paintings of the Italian artist Giotto, and meet with the artist Gustave Moreau, who accompanied him to many museums in Rome. Degas described the time he spent in Italy as "one of the happiest stages of his life."

Edgar Degas became one of the pioneers of Impressionism and his skill in drawing ballerinas was most evident from 1845 to 1853. He then returned to Paris to devote his time to creating historical paintings between 1855 and 1865.

It is worth mentioning that Edgar Degas participated in the Franco-German war during the 1870s. After the difficult phase of the war, Degas traveled again with his young brother Ronnie to London in 1872; then he traveled to New York, then to New Orleans, where he stayed for five months. He did not return to Paris until 1873.

Degas participated in many exhibitions of the Impressionists and even exhibited his work in London in 1883. But in 1892, he left oil painting, and in 1901, he became almost blind and could only paint on large scales and in broad lines.

Edgar Degas passed away on September 27, 1917.