Self-Portrait

About this artwork

This Oil on paper, laid down on canvas by Edgar Degas from ca. 1855–56 exemplifies historical artistic production through its materials, techniques, and aesthetic approach. Created within specific cultural and historical contexts, works like this reflect both individual artistic vision and broader patterns of workshop practice, patron expectations, and prevailing aesthetic theories. The medium of Oil on paper, laid down on canvas required specialized knowledge developed through years of training...

Art Historical Context

Edgar Degas' *Self-Portrait* (ca. 1855–56) offers a rare glimpse into the young artist's early experimentation, created when he was just beginning his career in mid-19th-century Paris. At around 16 x 13½ inches, this intimate oil on paper, laid down on canvas, captures Degas gazing thoughtfully at himself—a bold choice for a budding painter influenced by the rigorous traditions of French academic training. The unconventional medium of oil on paper highlights specialized techniques of the era, where artists prepared surfaces with care and mounted fragile supports on canvas for durability, blend...

About the Artist

Edgar Degas · 1834–1917

Edgar Degas (1834-1917) stands as one of the most innovative artists of the nineteenth century, whose distinctive vision transformed how modern life could be depicted on canvas. Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas in Paris to a wealthy banking family—his father French, his mother a Louisiana Creole from New Orleans—Degas received a classical education before abandoning law studies in 1855 to pursue ...