Student Web Activity Lesson Plans

Chapter 20: Mass Society and Democracy

Degas

Introduction

Social trends in the mid-1800s in France are readily apparent in the works of many of the impressionist artists. The work of Edgar Degas is a good example. In this activity students will learn about impressionism and about the contribution of Degas to a new style in painting and sculpture.

Lesson Description
Students will go to a Web site about Edgar Degas that includes his biography and images of some of his works. Students will read the information and answer four questions about what they have read. They will then examine two of Degas's paintings and answer a series of questions to refine their understanding of impressionism.

Instructional Objectives

The learner will be able to recognize features of impressionism.

The learners will be able to apply what they have learned by using art as a potential source of information about the society it depicts.

Student Web Activity Answers

Degas studied under Ingres. Like Ingres, Degas believed in the importance of drawing in the creation of art, and he developed his marvelous drawing ability while studying under the master.

Degas called himself a Realist because he wanted to create works that were based in contemporary life and experience, not idealized images of mythological figures and historical subjects.

Degas preferred to produce his paintings in a studio instead of out-of-doors like Monet and Renoir. His subject matter concentrated on people at work rather than play. Often his paintings employ unusual perspectives and depict laundresses, milliners, and dancers.

The Dreyfus case brought out Degas’s anti-Semitism. His friendship with Ludovic Halévy, who was Jewish, ended because of Degas’s political stand during the affair. It also caused a break between Degas and other artists, including Pissarro.

Students’ answers to the questions will vary. Students may point out that many of Degas’s paintings depict the working class or bourgeoisie.