From 1859, he established himself as a detailed realist, and painted scenes from Goethe’s Faust. They were followed by the return of the prodigal sone and more.
Degas
The interiors of an artist’s studio, realistic or fantastic, those of the Netherlands a century earlier, a cotton office in New Orleans, and more.
Middle class collectors came to like paintings of interiors, sometimes without any figures at all. Others were Orientalist, or told open-ended narrative.
First popular in the Dutch Golden Age, paintings of interiors enjoyed success during the 19th century, when they were favourites of the avant garde.
Equestrian paintings of those who followed George Stubbs: Théodore Géricault, James Ward, Horace Vernet, Eugène Delacroix, and Edgar Degas.
Some of the many major works from the 19th century, from Caspar David Friedrich, through Turner and Constable, to Paul Cézanne, and van Gogh’s sunflowers.
Orientalism, a duel in fancy dress, gladiators in the Colosseum, the assassination of Julius Caesar, and the cynic Diogenes.
Degas’ Miss La La, a clown feeding a baby, cruelty to performers and animals, the misery of the Saltimbanques, and the melancholy of clowns.
Bottles of alcoholic drink as the way to disaster, absinthe, and the last need of the destitute. As virtuoso displays, and in still lifes.
From 1890, he painted views of Paris in increasingly loose style. Recognised internationally, he served on the jury for the Carnegie, and competed at the 1912 Olympics.
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