Film of Edgar Degas - Great Post Impressionist Painter

[Llibuth1]

I find this really interesting especially as he was so private about his work and especially his photography, which it once was said he had as much of an obsession with as painting... thanks :) xXx

[nickwallacesmith]

hi Llibuth1 - Degas does seem aware of the camera and that privateness you mention is his exact reaction to it - he seems very wary and uncomfortable. cheers xXXx :>>>>>

[davishev]

Very cool!

[nickwallacesmith]

hi davishev - isn't it - amazing to see Degas marching about the street!

[davishev]

@nickwallacesmith I think it's amazing to see nearly anyone from another century walking around in moving pictures. I'd love it if there were footage of....say Rembrandt painting. Imagine if there were such a thing as movie cameras in the 17th century!

[nickwallacesmith]

hi davishev - yes, exactly - the people i miss seeing on film particularly are those who did just before the invention of the new technology of the movie camera, like charles dickens reading some of his literature on one of his speaking tours

[MrKaybear40]

This is amazing. Thank you so much for posting. a rare insight!

[nickwallacesmith]

hi MrKaybear40 - yes, the footage of monet and rodin are well enough known - i had no iead that degas had been caught on film. cheers from sydney

[Catherineone]

Now that is interesting

Thank you for posting the clip

[nickwallacesmith]

hi Catherineone - glad you like it!

[papagdavidson]

I had no idea there was any footage of him - it's amazing. I just read Ambroise Vollard's biography of him lately - he says that Degas' doctor told him to get out walking every day, but Degas instead would get on the tram and sit up on top of it riding around Paris, and people would see him go by and cheer - and Degas would get up and bow to them, even though by this point his vision was so bad he couldn't see them. I always loved that image of him - Degas, the servant of Art, taking his bow!

[nickwallacesmith]

hi papagdavidson - i had no idea that such footage existed - and then i googled round and found film of renoir, monet and rodin, which i've also uploaded here - in a few you see these artists speaking to those in 'the shoot' and realise with a lip reader you could actually know what's been said as well as done on camera

[papagdavidson]

Ahhh! Tis he!

[nickwallacesmith]

hi papagdavidson - yes, amazing to have been captured so haphazardly on film - lucky for us!