Kendall, Richard. Degas, by Himself. London: Mcdonald & Co, 1987.
This huge volume contains everything from high quality reproductions of Degas' works in full color, to his intimate letters, journals, notebooks, and conversations quoted by friends.
After reading this book, I have become more aware of the importance of discipline in order to push my art as far to its fullest potential. Degas is excellent example of this. Coming from a strong academic background, Degas naturally had a drive to pursue his art to the fullest. His early letters and notebooks show the intensity of his thoughts and the meticulous effort he placed on everything he created throughout his career. The following is from an early notebook entry. It reads as if Degas is talking to himself on paper; reminding himself of critical changes he must make on a work in progress. He writes:
Light and warm emerald green breast-plate, simulating scales. Cloth rolled around waist in the Egyptian fashion. Golden necklaces. Blackish wood like coconut; in front of donkey, do a third girl, carrying an urn of oriental alabaster. Definitely don't show any sky in the corner above the flags. The woman sitting on the donkey to be wrapped in a warm pink drapery. On the donkey a lion's skin - give the young man who waves the flags a crown of laurels. Palms as symbols of joy among the women, one at the feet of the girl who holds it - (now a symbol of martyrdom). (34)
These inspiring and revealing notes are located throughout the book and give a direct account of how important it is for an artist to think before, and during, the painting process. This may be the trouble that I am having with my own art right now. I paint from photographs at work and don't put much thought into the overall effect I'm trying to achieve. I basically paint what I see in the photo. If I were to start thinking similarly to Degas by seriously planning my paintings based on, but not copied directly from, these photos, my paintings would become more personal and closer to me.
Another technique that Degas vigorously pursued was drawing from memory. By drawing from memory, Degas was able to eliminate the busy details of a subject and concentrate more on its composition and construction. From this foundation, he would then build on these with his own innovative way of painting in oils or pastels.
This may be a better approach to painting from the photograph for me and may help in getting me further away from copying. To become familiar with a photo over a period of time then putting it away and drawing the essential parts that stick in my mind would definitely help bring the photo onto a more personal level for me. The importance would be what the painting is saying rather than does the painting look like the photo.
Degas is an artist that I always seem to return to. I believe what I like about his work is the way he mixes his strengths in drawing with his painting to create a unique style. The letters, journals, and especially the notebooks of Degas were helpful for me to read and have inspired me to pursue the direction my art has taken since the beginning of my study of Impressionism.