Best Artwork by Edgar Degas

French Impressionist artist Hilaire-Germain-Edgar de Gas was born in Paris and is popularly known as Edgar Degas. He was fascinated with dancers and dance classes and created artworks depicting these. Throughout his career the artist created about 626 works of art.

L’Absinthe (In a Cafe) is a painting that depicts a woman staring listlessly with a passionless and forlorn expression. In front of her is a glass of absinthe, a drink that was popular across Europe. This scene was staged in Degas’ studio, and the subject depicted is actress-model Ellen Andree.

The Ballet Class is the second artwork that Degas created on the subject of ballet. It was completed in 1874 and is an oil-on-canvas. The painting depicts ballerinas in ballet class. The ballet master stands with a stick in the middle of the room. He was identified as a former dancer turned ballet master, Jules Perrot, a friend of the artist. This artwork can be seen at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, France.

Ballet Rehearsal Onstage is the third artwork in the ballet series. The artist got backstage access through his friends, like Jules Perrot, and watched the dancers closely and noted their movements. In this painting he shows the ballet dancers rehearsing onstage. Degas was good at showing the ballerinas with different expressions. The painting can be seen at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, France.

The Bellelli Family is a portrait that Degas painted of his paternal aunt, Laura’s family, in Florence, Italy. It was created between 1858 and 1867 and depicts Laura, her husband Baron Gennaro Bellelli, and their daughters, Giovanna on the left and Giulia on the right. The painting was exhibited in 1918.

A Cotton Office in New Orleans is a painting the artist created based on his maternal uncle, Michel Musson, and his cotton business in New Orleans, Louisiana. The painting also depicts other family members, all preoccupied with work. His brothers Rene and Achille and Musson’s son-in-law William Bell. The artwork can be viewed at the Musee des Beaux-Arts de Pau in Pau, France.

Interior is a painting that brings in realism and is also known as The Rape. It depicts a man and a half-naked woman in a bedroom, supposedly portraying a rape scene. Art critics believe this was not a real scene but a staged scene. The painting is known for the artist’s representation of light and darkness. It can be viewed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Millinery Shop was a painting created by Degas because of his fascination with millinery shops. The artist visited a few with his fellow artist and muse Mary Cassatt. This painting depicts a woman sitting at the display of a millinery shop working on a woman’s hat. This is one of the largest paintings Degas created. It can be seen at the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois.

Monsieur and Madame Edouard Manet is a painting that depicts Degas fellow artist Edouard Manet and his wife, Suzanne Manet, in their home. An interesting thing happened when Manet saw the portrait: he did not like how his wife was depicted in the painting and slashed it from top to bottom, tearing through Suzanne so her face could not be seen. Degas was angry about this and took back the painting, wanting to restore it but never did it. It can be viewed as it is at the Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art in Japan.

The Rehearsal is one of the most famous paintings by Degas. This painting is the first of his series on ballerinas. In this artwork, ballerinas are seen rehearsing in sync to the tune of a violinist. Other ballerinas are stretching, awaiting their turn. Degas visited the Paris Opera and its ballet wing to observe the dancers. Other times he asked dancers to pose at his studio. This painting can be viewed at the Fogg Art Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

A Woman Seated beside a Vase of Flowers is an oil-on-canvas painting. It depicts a large vase of flowers with a woman seated next to it. Degas preferred to portray people in everyday life routines. The woman in the painting is his friend’s wife. The painting can be viewed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.