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Snapshot

Edgar Degas, 1834-1917, France:
experimental innovator and ballet enthusiast

Edgar Degas was an old master so inspired by ballet scenes that a friendly critic admitted, “He has done so many dancers and so often repeated himself that it is difficult to specify any particular one.”

On the auction block, he reached peak success with works from age 46, and buyers continue to place a high value on paintings he did from then until his death at age 74. None of his works stands out from the pack, but he’s No. 9 on the list of French artists with the most illustrations in art books.

As he persistently experimented with subtle changes in technique he remained uncertain of his own abilities.

“Continually uncertain about proportions” is

Edgar Degas, old master Auction prices for Degas paintings peak with works from his 40s.(Horizontal axis is age. Vertical axis is a weighted measure of auction prices. Source: Painting Outside the Lines)

how a critic described him, and he took those words to heart. “Nothing,” he told a friend, “could better describe (my) state of mind while … toiling and struggling over a work.”

See also: Basics about experimental and conceptual innovators

See also: Painters who are experimental innovators, painters who are conceptual innovatorsk

See also chart: Comparing experimental and conceptual painters