Edgar Degas

Bardzo dobre opracowanie twórczości E. Degas pod kątem rysunków i pasteli. Kilka ciekawych uwag technicznych. Ciekawa lektura. Staranne wydanie, dobra jakość reprodukcji pomimo małego formatu. Polecam miłośnikom twórczości artysty.

こんなに素晴らしい美術書は久しぶりです。絵の印刷もとてもキレイで、作品数もダントツで、素晴らしい。

This is a very important book.It's main role is to show some 230 Drawings and Pastels from throughout Degas's life.The book is of a small format--see the dimensionsThe book is copyright Thames and Hudson of London.There is no preface that may explain some of the features, or lack of them-- one is left to guessFormatThere is a few page introduction to each section of drawingsand pastels. There are a total of 8 sections.These essays are helpful. They are Not referenced, but there is a brief bibliography at the back which covers a variety of well known books. Not many have Degas drawings or pastels as their primary focusAfter the essay there is a good selection of drawings and pastels in each section -- this is the great achievement of this book.These are drawn from a number of major institutions and private collections.Reproductions.The reproductions are in full colour and excellent.They are on the small side but are very well done.They may be one per page or occassionally one per two pagesLittle information is given-- Title, Date, Media, dimensions and OwnerThe drawings and pastels are left to stand by themselves. Other that the commentary in the essay section there is no individual comment on the drawings and pastels.Catalogue Raisonne-- why was there no commentary.You may want to ,or not want to read this section.I am not sure why there is no commentary-- I am not sure if there is a Catalogue Raisonne ( CR --academic catalogue ) of Degas Drawings and Degas Pastels exist.If it does exist then the author should have referenced each item by CR numberIf a CR exists he should have made more comment on the items in the book.If there is no CR then it is a lot of hard work for the scholar to collect all the necessary information to write his comments. He has to do this for each item.My guess is that there is no CR but someone may well correct me.NOTEJean S Boggs a noted Canadian Degas scholar was working on a Catalogue Raisonne when she died in 2000.Other scholars were working with her on the project.I am unsure where this project is at present.These catalogues usually reflect many years of work.( see The National Gallery of Canada website under Jean Sutherland Boggs Fonds ( I presume Fonds to mean Sources. It gives a brief biography of Jean S Boggs and then notes her material archived at the National Gallery of Canada. This mainly has to do with Degas Drawings. )There are a French multivolume work on Degas-- My French is not good enough to tell if these include his Drawings and Pastels or not.Paul-Andre Lemoisne. " Degas et son Oeuvre " 4 volumes. 1946 --issued in 980 copiesIn Ursus Books catalogue 232 it is POR Price on Request -- ie very very expensiveThere is a reprint in 1984 with a fifth supplementary volume cost $ 2,500My guess is that either this Catalogue Raisonne did not cover Pastels and or Drawings or the Author did not have ready and frequent access to it.SummaryThis is a great book on Degas Drwings and Pastels.My love is Master Drawings and I have several books on Degas Drawings.This is probably the bestThere are 230 drawings and Pastels that are reproduced in excellent colour.The drawings and Pastels are arranged in a basic chronological order so you can try and discover how his style developed.There a number of studies of Dancers, some of Nudes, Bathers, Laundress's, Milliners, Racehorses and Landscapes.The author briefly introduces each section.

Amazing book with a lot of pictures although the size of the book. The quality of iptinting is very good. There are also interestin articles about Degas. It's a pleasure to have this book in the collection.

I recently completed reading Christopher Lloyd‘s, Edgar Degas Drawings and Pastels, Picasso and the Art of Drawing, and Matisse and the Joy of Drawing. I felt as if I was learning from each of these artists.Christopher Lloyd served as Surveyor of The Queen’s Pictures for the Royal Collection. If he was good enough for Her Majesty, he is good enough for me. Evan Simmons