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International Art Treasures Web Magazine July 2004 |
Degas in Bronze:
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Title 1: Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen, Date Unknown
Title 2: Ballet Dancer, Dressed
Artist: Edgar Degas (French 1834-1917)
Medium: Bronze
10 x 50.5 x 49.5 cm
Permanent Collection: Museu de Art de São Paulo, Brazil
The Three Images Courtesy: The Boise Art Museum
Impressionist artists capture a fleeting moment in time using light, color and motion to portray the image. Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen is unique in its used of mixed media along with traditional bronze. Degas added a realistic tulle skirt and the scalp is infused with horsehair which is tied with a ribbon. The sculpture is positioned to capture the exact moment the girl struck this pose. Close your eyes and the girl has moved and the moment is lost.
Typically the new in art was rejected fervently by the critics, and when Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen was first exhibited the use of mixed media was not appreciated. Degas never again publicly displayed his sculptures during his lifetime. Luckily for art enthusiasts he did not cease his output.
Title: Horse at Trough, 1930s
Artist: Edgar Degas (French 1834-1917)
Medium: Bronze
Dimensions: 17 x 72 x 14 cm
Permanent Collection: Museu de Art de São Paulo, Brazil
Image Courtesy: The Boise Art Museum
Degas, like Monet, had several recurring themes in his works notably ballet dancers but he was also found of horses.
Title: Prancing Horse, 1930s
Artist: Edgar Degas (French 1834-1917)
Medium: Bronze
Dimensions: 27 x 31 x 13.5 cm
Permanent Collection: Museu de Art de São Paulo, Brazil
Image Courtesy: The Boise Art Museum
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The Museu de Art de São Paulo Degas Bronze
sculptures is one of only four complete sets in the world.
Near the end of his life with his eyesight rapidly failing Degas created wax molds that were later cast in bronze, posthumously by his heirs. Left: Title: Spanish Dance, 1930s
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Bronze is Cast
In 1919 Adrien A. Hébrard was permitted to produce 22 sets of bronzes from 73 wax sculptures.
Title: Dancer Looking at the Sole of Her Right Foot, 1930s
Artist: Edgar Degas (French 1834-1917)
Medium: Bronze
Dimensions: 49 x 23 x 34 cm
Permanent Collection: Museu de Art de São Paulo, Brazil
Image Courtesy: The Boise Art Museum
The Hébrard castings produced 1,300 individual sculptures and four complete sets of the 73 works. This practice was not in any way unusual. Artists rarely cast their own work in bronze. Thanks to the talents of Hébrard and his master artisan Albino Palazzolo the original Degas wax casts remain. Traditionally they would have been destroyed as part of the casting. However Palazzolo brilliantly coated the casts with gelatin and it was the gelatin version that was lost in the process of creating the bronze work. This allowed the original to survive and more than one copy to be taken.
Title: Woman Rubbing her Back with a Sponge, Torso, 1920s
Artist: Edgar Degas (French 1834-1917)
Medium: Bronze
Dimensions: 50 x 30 x 23 cm
Permanent Collection: Museu de Art de São Paulo, Brazil
Image Courtesy: The Boise Art Museum
Boise Art Museum
Title: Boise Art Museum Front with Crowd
Image Courtesy: The Boise Art Museum
While visiting Degas: The Complete Sculptures allow time to view the impressive glass exhibit by William Morris.
Myth, Object and the Animal
June 19th - October 17th, 2004
William Morris was a master glassblower for Dale Chihuly. Morris is acclaimed for his innovative use of color, design and surface texture in his sculptures. This collection is inspired by archaeological themes from a multitude of cultures.
This is the time to visit Boise for a rare opportunity to view Degas in Bronze: The Complete Sculptures, and witness the developing talent of Degas as Impressionist Sculptor.