Edgar Degas was full of contradictions. A boy who grew up in a well-to-do home, he nevertheless worked hard all his life. A devoted family man, he never married or had children of his own. Considered one of the leaders of the French Impressionist movement that included Monet, Renoir, and Pissarro, he created art almost totally different from theirs in every aspect. Unlike the others in the group, Degas was not interested in landscape painting out-of-doors; he preferred to work in his studio, making stunning images of ballet dancers, jockeys at the race track, singers and orchestra musicians, laundresses, and milliners. Extremely conservative politically, he was a revolutionary artist, experimenting in everything he did - oil paintings, pastels, drawings, etchings, and sculptures.
Edgar Degas was full of contradictions. A boy who grew up in a well-to-do home, he nevertheless worked hard all his life. A devoted family man, he never married or had children of his own. Considered one of the leaders of the French Impressionist movement that included Monet, Renoir, and Pissarro, he created art almost totally different from theirs in every aspect. Unlike the others in the group, Degas was not interested in landscape painting out-of-doors; he preferred to work in his studio, making stunning images of ballet dancers, jockeys at the race track, singers and orchestra musicians, laundresses, and milliners. Extremely conservative politically, he was a revolutionary artist, experimenting in everything he did - oil paintings, pastels, drawings, etchings, and sculptures.