Degas’s Paintings: Unfinished or Unresolved? The Artist’s Process and the Question of Finish
- DATE:
- TIME:
- 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
- SPEAKER:
- Ann Hoenigswald, Senior Conservator of Paintings Emerita, National Gallery of Art
Edgar Degas was a particularly experimental 19th-century artist. Close technical study of his paintings, graphic work and sculptures reveals his eccentric choice of materials and unconventional manipulation of media. He was known to rework his pictures decades after initially considering them finished, and he frequently approached his artwork as if it were a work in progress. Clues left on the surface occasionally expose these changes, but on occasion only technical imaging can help decipher the embedded layers. Hoenigswald explores these aspects and delves into Degas’s revision process, his use of materials and the ambiguous issue of finish.
Advance tickets for members are available below.
Walk-up tickets will be released one hour prior to the program’s start time.
EVENT DETAILS
- Fee:
- Free with museum admission.
- Details:
- Doors open 30 minutes before program. Advance ticket-holders may check in at the Membership Desk between 12:00 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. to receive a sticker for their seat (seating is not assigned). Everyone must be seated no later than 4:50 p.m. Guests who are not in their seat by 4:50 p.m. may forfeit their ticket.
- Location:
- Theater