Sunday May 1, 1881, 11:49 – 35 Boulevard des Capucines, Paris, France. I was a little hesitant to meet with Degas. A very temperamental person with an abrasive personality. Not exactly someone you wanted to have a conversation with. Nonetheless, it was Degas and I did not want to pass up the opportunity, to say nothing of the chance to see all this amazing art firsthand.
So here I am. It’s the last day of the 6th impressionist exhibition, held at what was formerly Nadar’s studio. Despite his works being well received, Degas was still his stern self while sharing his views. He had been painting ballet dancers for some 10 years now, and his ballerina sculpture had made this exhibit, but he had started to paint domestic scenes of women. He was at a crossroads in terms of direction for his art as he was also experimenting with various media. Having too many interests, and the beginnings of failing eyesight he was torn where to go from here… I carefully agreed with his thinking to continue his innovative use of movement and color. He felt he was shifting away from Ingres’ superb draftsmanship towards the more emotional expressions and colors of Delacroix.
He did not know it but he was breaking new ground and like his contemporaries Manet and Cezanne, he was setting the tone for the next century of art. As I left him to his thoughts, it was an incredibly eye opening trip.
