Monday, May 7, 2012

Edgar Degas (Place de la Concorde or Vicomte Lepic & His Daughters) -Dana Kim


“Place de la Concorde” is an oil painting by Edgar Degas in the year 1875. This painting is also known under the title “Viconte Lepic and His Daughters.” The painting portrays cigar smoking Ludovic-Napoléon Lepic with his two daughters crossing the Place de la Concorde. I find this painting of Degas very interesting and appealing for its innovative composition, artistic drawing, and sharp analysis of movement. Degas followed the style of Impressionism. This painting of Degas is representational in form similar to his other works. It almost depicts what is there in reality. In “Place de la Concorde,” Degas pays utmost attention to the drawing of figures and faces in the picture. Apart from effectively using formal elements of art such as lights and colors, Degas skillfully captures his subjects. In this painting, Degas depicts movement in different directions. The lines and the high walls depict the theme of alienation in modern society. The contrast of light shades the center of the City Square and slightly darker shades toward the sides provides the painting a realistic touch. The way in which the subjects in the painting face different directions and the use of large amount of space shows that a photograph influences it. Thus, “Place de la Concorde” remains to be one of the best impressionist paintings with a perspective analysis of movement.

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