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Edgar Degas (artist) French, 1834 - 1917 Woman Viewed from Behind, unknown date oil on canvas Overall: 81.3 x 75.6 cm (32 x 29 3/4 in.) framed: 114.3 x 107.9 x 11.1 cm (45 x 42 1/2 x 4 3/8 in.) Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon 1985.64.11 |
Object 3 of 7
Degas unleashed his biting wit on many of his colleagues, but was impressed with the work of American artist Mary Cassatt, saying of her "there is someone who senses painting as I do." Like him she maintained the importance of drawing and carefully planned composition. In 1877 Degas invited her to exhibit with the impressionists.
Probably it is Cassatt we see here. Degas made a number of prints and pastels of Cassatt and her sister during visits to the Louvre -- where, in fact, she and Degas first met. These works make it possible to identify the setting of this work. Although painted freely, Degas' sketchy brushstrokes convey the surfaces of painted canvases in heavy gold frames and the pink columns still found in the Grande Galerie. The line of Mary Cassatt's silhouette and the tilt of her head are lively and energetic, but her expression is withheld from view.
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