Degas: The Private Impressionist

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

A few weeks ago I visited the Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland, FL to view the exhibition Degas: The Private Impressionist.  I then wrote about it for ArtScene Press.  Here is a brief excerpt of that article…

The preliminary sketches and studies in this exhibit exemplify Degas’ masterful draftsmanship, and some drawings could stand as works of art on their own. A graphite drawing of a plough horse (c. 1860-1861) is profound in its simplicity and realism. Mademoiselle Dembowska, (c. 1858-1859), a study in black crayon, is an unfinished sketch of a child in whose face Degas captured a sense of quiet wonder.

The viewer also sees Degas’ take on works by masters of the Italian Renaissance such as Andrea Mantegna and Filippo Lippi. But the exhibition isn’t limited to the work of Degas alone. The curators wisely included works on paper by his contemporaries such as Mary Cassatt and Toulouse-Lautrec. Their inclusion illustrates how closely this circle of modernists worked to advance art in the 19thcentury, and their consistent influence on each other.

To read the entire article published by ArtScene Press, please visit this link…

https://artscenepress.com/degas-polkmuseum/

For more information on the Polk Museum of Art, please visit this link…

https://polkmuseumofart.org/

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I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida. In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium. The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too. Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.