Edgar Degas' personal wealth gave him freedom to devote himself to art. he shunned formal training, preferring to study the Renaissance through frequent trips to Italy and - on his own doorstep - copying in the Louvre. There in 1862, he and Manet met in front of a Velazquez. Degas, who never ceased investigating every technical aspect of painting and drawing, had spent three years on the basics of light and color. Manet may . Degas exhibited with thme righ from the start in 1874, although he never wholly accepted their doctrines or techniques for himself. He only signed his works when he sold or exhibited them, thus controlling their number and value in the marketplace.
His subjects come from his own background, the high-born fraternity of the racecourse and opera house; ballet rehearsals attended as a privileged visitor; and the nudes seemingly observed, as he said himself, 'through the keyhole'. Degas was also captivated by Japanese prints, which inspired him to experiment with oblique and unusual perspectives.
Unfortunately, Degas' caustic wit lost him many friends and he came to a solitary old age. yet his biggest problem was always his failing eyesight. Perhaps that was why he took up photography at the age of 61, the cameral being effectively a new pair of eyes. His expert venture into pastels was another attempt to work around the problem. But his last resort was to make small wax sculptures of dancers and horses: '...one sees no longer except in memory.' He died in 1917 in Paris.
