1880
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Mary Cassatt at the Louvre: The Etruscan Gallery is a 1880 ink by Edgar Degas, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows two women in a dimly lit room. One stands with her back to us, holding a leash for a small dog. The other sits reading a book, her dress and hair drawn with quick, loose lines. The walls behind them are plain, and the light is soft, like a quiet afternoon. The artist used a scratchy method to make the lines—some areas look like they were drawn with a needle, others with a brush. The sketch feels alive but unfinished, like a quick snapshot. Look up etching to see how artists like Degas made prints this way.
Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas on 19 July 1834 in Paris, Edgar Degas came from an affluent banking family with aristocratic roots and spent his childhood among the cultivated circles of the French capital.
See the richer artist page
