Edgar Dega's Singer in Green - Research Paper Example

Task: A selected annotated Bibliography on Edgar Dega's “Singer in Green” Schenkel, Ruth. "Edgar Degas (1834–1917 Painting and Drawing". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dgsp/hd_dgsp.htm (October 2004). According to Schenkel, the image of the Singer in Green is a demonstration of Dega’s excellence and expertness in the application of pastel in achieving the necessary effect of footlight glare. Degas illuminates his subjects from below. Shckenkel also argues that Degas has depicted his artistic knowledge using coarse hatchings that suggests the existing backdrop behind the singer herself. According to this author, Degas had a deep meaning behind this style of art. He says that the subject matter of the Artist mainly represented the modern approach. He also states that Degas had a great interest in the portrayal of romance as a major theme of his work of art. His intended message of this image is also facilitated or backed up by his claim that Degas had absorbed her artistic tradition outside people’s influences and later reinterpreted them in various innovative and inventive ways. He created and came up with a lot of information from a single work of art. From the art, it is evident, according to the author that Degas did an experiment with various techniques, thus breaking up the existing surface textures with hatching. He also contrasted the dry pastel with a wet one. Degas used watercolors and gouache in the softening of the contours of the figure. Degas, in this concept, is seen as an experienced artist in the use of colors to decorate hi artworks. He uses vivid yellow, orange, and turquoise, which area all features of saturated hues and complementary colors with which other several artists in his circle began to experience during the mid-1880s. The posture of the picture shows that Degas used the modern artistic styles. It is actually the same as the current postures taken by most live performing artists. Reff, Theodore. The Pictures within Degas’s Pictures. Columbia: Columbia University Press, 2004. Print. Theodore affirms that Degas applied Venatian art in the creation of the picture. His painting styles with the use of several colors are an indication of the use or application of the mentioned art that was popular during the mid-1860s. He says that the appearance of the picture was because of various works of other artists such as Tintoretto, Giorgione, and Veronose. Like other works of Degas such as Finding of Moses, Theodore asserts that most of the art styles used in the picture, were that of Tissot who wrote to him, “L’Assomtion du Titien m’a laisse froid-le Tintoret de Saint- Marc piquant une tete m’a bien…” Theodore goes ahead to explain the history of Degas artistic knowledge that he used in the making or compilation of the picture. He says that the knowledge on the use of colors in the decoration of the picture came from Venatian first, before it; Tissot got it and later shared it with Tissot. He says that, through this, Degas managed to create the picture that was remarkably varied in styles and subjects. The skills he gained through these early artists also helped him come up with juxtaposition in photos. He asserts his beliefs in the existing relevance of modern art. To verify the issue of modernity, Theodore talks of the realism of European paintings and the artificiality of the Japanese prints. The curving of the hand in the picture, the paintings, the textures and the posture, are all original works of other artists during the renaissance era that was adopted by Degas during the creation of the artworks. Reff, Theodore. Degas: A master among Masters. Columbia: Columbia University Press, 2001. Print. In this article, Theodore still discusses the styles that Degas used in the picture. He talks of many aspects of the pictures, in terms of its composition and making styles. She refers to one of the known and popular statements that Degas made regarding his artistic work and career. He ones confessed, “Of inspiration, spontaneity, temperament I know nothing” (Theodore 1). The realism of Degas artwork in the picture of the Singer in Green. He goes further to state that Degas work originated from the renaissance arts. He also says that the apparent informality and the realism of Degas’s art seemed to contradict in a way. For instance, in the picture, Singer in Green, contra diction erupts in the use of colors within the picture. The use of mixture of green and yellow colors with a combination of red is confusion itself. It may look or appear artistic experience but it delivers little when it comes to the analysis of its thematic contents. Yellow color and red always serve the purpose of handling love, as a theme in art. However bringing in green and some black colors totally interferes with the message that is supposed to be displayed to the viewer. Black, for instance, is a color that represents dullness and no happiness; always monotonous or despondent times in life. Theodore also considers the picture as an example of Japanese work. He does not apply the term, ‘imitation’ in his reference to the work. He uses the history of the picture in coming up with a convincing conclusion that the picture is not Degas’s original or creative work. De Vonyar, Jill, and Richard Kendall. Degas and the Dance. Exhibition catalogue. New York: Abrams, 2002. Jill, in this book handles a lot in the analysis of the picture, in terms of its backgrounds and landscape appearances. He also deals with the scrutiny and analysis of the surroundings of the picture itself. The background of the picture consists of green and yellow colors. The yellow color appears at the bottom of the photo, and they are mixed with another color, which appears to be brown at the bottom-most part of the picture. According to Jill, the photo green color at the top serves a role in the portrayal of seasons in the picture. The green sis a depiction or show of rainy season or good days accompanied by peace and tranquility among several people and societies. The yellow part, on the other hand, is a representation of transition times. It is the stage whereby people change or society change from the worst season to the best and vice versa or from tranquility to war and instabilities and vice versa. Boggs, Jean Sutherland, et al. Degas. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1988. Print. Boggs, in his book describes Degas’s art in manner that illustrates and reveals the contribution of Degas’s friends in the making of the picture. An example of Degas’s long time friends and fellow artists was Henri Rouart. He was a friend to Degas since child hood, and they did many things together using the same way or line of reasoning most of the time. Rouart was also an impressionist, just like Degas. Museum drawing was the main activity that was carried out by most members of Rouart family. Considering the picture in the question, Rouart made a lot of contribution towards the development or excellence of the picture. The contribution, according to Boggs, is unrecognized by many people as few understand and comprehend the need and the value of basic education or child education at early age. This type of education depends mainly on the people whom the learner interacts with while in the process of studies. It also involves early childhood or parental education. Childhood education determines greatly on a certain line of achievement. According to Boggs, it is the influence of his friends like Rouart that Degas managed to do a lot in the field of art. It was through the influence and motivation by Rouart and other friends that he managed to reach a high level with artistry. Boggs also reveals the use of pencil study in the making of the picture. In the picture, he utilized pencil in the creation of the black and grey part of the picture. This part, as stated earlier, serves a core duty in the depiction of a thematic message brought out in the picture by the artist. Hannway, John. Encyclopedia of 19th century photograph. New York, NY: Tailor and Francis Group, 2008. Print. Hannway handles several books and articles related to arts and photography. According to him, the picture by Degas covers a lot of comprehensive information and aspects. An overview of the photo is a real or relevant society by itself. The picture, according to this author has all the three fundamental aspects of any society. The political aspect is revealed by the existence of the red color on the girl’s dressing. Blood is a symbol or color of blood. It thus serves a purpose of revealing danger or caution to other people within a given society. Wars or instability in a given society portrays political aspect of the society. It shows that the leaders of such a society are not carrying out their roles well. Painting and artistry is a representation of the society’s economic aspect. The singing girl represents the social aspect. Songs are meant to entertain and bring people within a certain locality together. Work Cited Schenkel, Ruth. "Edgar Degas (1834–1917): Painting and Drawing". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dgsp/hd_dgsp.htm (October 2004). Reff, Theodore. Degas: A master among Masters. Columbia: Columbia University Press, 2001. Print. Reff, Theodore. Degas: A master among Masters. Columbia: Columbia University Press, 2001. Print. De Vonyar, Jill, and Richard Kendall. Degas and the Dance. Exhibition catalogue. New York: Abrams, 2002. Boggs, Jean Sutherland, et al. Degas. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1988. Hannway, John. Encyclopedia of 19th century photograph. New York, NY: Tailor and Francis Group, 2008. Print. Read More