Description
The "Self -portrait" painting of Edgar Degas, dated in 1855, represents a crucial moment in the artist's trajectory, because it is in the formative phase of his career. This work, although less known in the vast corpus of impressionism for which Degas is mostly remembered, offers an intimate look at its author's stylistic and emotional development in its beginnings.
When examining the work, we perceive an atmosphere of introspection and self -examination that is common in many artists, but that is manifested here through the determined choice of a darke and terrible color palette. The use of brown, ocher and deep green tones helps to create a sensation of solidity and reality in the artist's representation. Degas, with his mastery in handling light, manages to give life to a portrait that, despite his austere palette, radiates a palpable emotional intensity. This game of lights and shadows, a characteristic of the style of Degas, brings a sense of volume and depth to its figure, establishing a contrast between its illuminated face and the gloomy background.
The composition of the self -portrait is notable for its almost raw approach. Degas is presented as a full human being, without ornaments or idealizations, which suggests a gloomy honesty in his attempt to capture himself. The penetrating look that directs towards the viewer produces an almost direct connection, inviting us to participate in its inner world, while its firm and slightly asymmetric posture suggests a reflective nature. The self -portrait is practically devoid of elements that would traditionally be associated with the self -portrait of the nineteenth century, which usually include personal objects that reveal aspects of the artist's character. On the other hand, Degas chooses to focus attention on his individual, his face partly in shadows, projecting an accessible and distant aura.
This self -portrait is a testimony of Degas's early effort to explore his identity through art. Although their contributions to Fauvism and impressionism are more celebrated, this early work reflects its interest in deepening the psychology and dynamism of the human figure. On the other hand, it is interesting to note that Degas was an innovative in the cake technique, which would later use dance and ballet work, but in this self -portrait, use oil techniques on canvas that reveal its influence on the masters of the past, such as Velázquez and Rembrandt, especially in the way they treated the light and the figure.
The "self -portrait" of 1855 invites not only visual contemplation, but also to the reflection on the nature of art itself. When relegating theatricality and grandiloquence, degas captures the spirit of realism at a time when romanticism still prevailed. The painting stands as a bridge between the classical tradition and the modernity that would come, where the human figure becomes the center of attention and the study of daily life, something that would become a recurring theme in its subsequent work. Through this self -portrait, Degas is established not only as an observer of the world around him, but as an artist committed to the search for truth through his own introspective vision, thus providing a valuable piece to understand his evolution and the context of art in the nineteenth century.
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