Answer: Photography played a significant role in the artistic practice of Edgar Degas, an influential French Impressionist painter. Degas was an ardent photographer who used the art form as a source of inspiration and a source of references for his paintings and pastels, despite the fact that he is best known for his paintings and pastels. Several ways that photography affected Degas are listed below:
- Degas frequently studied and experimented with various compositions and cropping methods using pictures. In order to create his paintings, he would take or gather images of a variety of subjects, including dancers, horse races, and urban vistas. By experimenting with various angles, perspectives, and cropping techniques through photography, Degas was able to give his compositions a unique and lively perspective.
- Ballet dancers were one of Degas' main themes, and he was particularly interested in capturing the fleeting and dynamic quality of their movements. Degas had a tool to observe and record the positions and gestures of dancers in motion because to photography's capacity to stop time. He frequently took pictures of dancers in motion, utilizing them as models for his paintings to depict the fleeting moments and fluidity.
- Lighting and atmosphere: In terms of capturing light and atmosphere, photography also had an impact on Degas' work. Degas was able to examine how light falls on various subjects, how shadows are made, and how mood is produced by looking at photographs. His paintings would benefit from the application of this knowledge and observation of light and environment, which helped him create a sense of realism and atmosphere.
- Degas employed photography as a tool for documentation and reference in his work as an artist. He would take pictures of his close friends, other artists, and bystanders, such as dancers and opera singers. Through the use of these photos as visual references, he was able to accurately depict likenesses and minute features in his portraits.
It's important to note that Degas did not aim for photographic realism in his works, while using photography as a reference tool and a source of inspiration. He adopted the Impressionist movement instead, emphasizing free brushstrokes, brief flashes of color, and the investigation of movement and mood. Nevertheless, photography was fundamental in forming his aesthetic perspective and giving him access to priceless visual materials.