Degas: Letters

by Edgar Germain Hilaire Degas, Marguerite Kay (Translator), Marcel Guérin (Editor)

How does one account for the change in style of Edgar Degas' work during the latter half of his life? Starting in 1870, why did the artist gradually adopt such a different style, so removed from the meticulous precision of his initial painting? Using scientific analysis, this original book compares the painter's canvases as we view them at present in museums, with how Degas saw them: evermore hazily, with failing vision. It shows the consequences that the deterioration of Degas' sight had on the evolution of his style. Surprising and innovative in the quality of its illustrations, this book yields new insight into the relationship between art and science.

269 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2006