Degas and the Feminine

Through their depictions of women, many 19th-century artists destabilised contemporary conventions of femininity. Composed, classically inspired images popular in the first half of the century gave way to more prosaic interpretations.

The casualness and apparent spontaneity of Edgar Degas’s pastel nudes led writer Joris-Karl Huysmans to proclaim that the artist must have an ‘attentive cruelty’ towards women. In fact, Degas’s motivation was his fascination with capturing the figure in momentary poses, an interest informed by the relatively new medium of photography.

Many of Degas’s portraits departed from the highly finished quality of earlier portraiture. Here too he turned to photography, as in his portrayal of Princess de Metternich. Similarly, by frequently reworking the painted surface, Degas created a psychologically probing depiction of a female subject in his portrait of Hélène Rouart, shown standing in her father’s study and defined, as it were, by patriarchal possessions.

Paintings in this room

After the Misdeed
After the Misdeed
Jean Béraud
After the Bath, Woman drying herself
After the Bath, Woman drying herself
Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas
Combing the Hair ('La Coiffure')
Combing the Hair ('La Coiffure')
Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas
Hélène Rouart in her Father's Study
Hélène Rouart in her Father's Study
Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas
Princess Pauline de Metternich
Princess Pauline de Metternich
Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas
Three Dancers in Violet Tutus
Three Dancers in Violet Tutus
Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas
The Tub
The Tub
Jean-Louis Forain
A Bather
A Bather
Pierre-Auguste Renoir

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Related events

  • Curator's talk
    Hear about the ideas behind 'Degas and the Feminine' – Friday 19 April 2013
 
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