Impressionism, a historical reconstruction:

Edgar Degas

(1834-1917)

Reviews

on the impressionist expositions

Introduction:
On this page you will find summaries of the reviews on Edgar Degas. Namely on the ‘impressionist’ expositions he joined in 1874, 1876, 1877, 1879, 1880, 1881 and 1886. See the account for a more detailed representation of these reviews.
Note: You will just find the reviews of 1874 +1876. The other reviews will be added later.

Edgar Degas: 1IE-1874-55, Classe de dance; appartient à M. Brandon = 1870-72ca, CR297, The Dancing Class (Le Foyer), 20x27, Metropolitan (iR2;iR59;R90II,p7+22;R2,p120;R90I,p29+37;R26,no296;R47,p50;M23) Provenance: Durand-Ruel 1872/01/12; Brandon 1872/02; expo Durand-Ruel London-1876-2; Henry Hill since 1875ca-1889. — Edgar Degas: 1IE-1874-55, Classe de dance; appartient à M. Brandon = 1870-72ca, CR297, The Dancing Class (Le Foyer), 20×27, Metropolitan (iR2;iR59;aR23;R90II,p7+22;R2,p120;R90I,p29+37;R26,no296;R47,p50;M23) Provenance: Durand-Ruel 1872/01/12; Brandon 1872/02; expo Durand-Ruel London-1876-2; Henry Hill since 1875ca-1889.

Edgar Degas, 1IE-1874-63, Aux courses en province = 1872ca, CR281, At the Races in the Countryside, 37x56, MFA Boston (iR2;iR59;R114,no281;R26,no203;R90II,p7+22;R2,p120+127;M22) — Edgar Degas, 1IE-1874-63, Aux courses en province = 1872ca, CR281, At the Races in the Countryside, 37×56, MFA Boston (iR2;iR59;R114,no281;R26,no203;R90II,p7+22;R2,p120+127;M22)

1874:
Here you will find a summary of the reviews on the 1st ‘impressionist’ exposition related to Edgar Degas.
See the link for the art-works he showed in 1874.
Degas was very often mentioned in the reviews and 5 out of 10 times mentioned as one of the leading partakers. Burty reviewed ‘No one, in fact, has yet portrayed the dancer, as he has, the coryphee, in gauze and bone, with thin arms, the fragile waist, the balanced body, the beautiful legs…’ and also ‘M. Edgar Degas is at once the least revolutionary and the most scholarly member of this group. He is the master of a highly accomplished science of design’ (R90I,p37+10) Chesnau remarked ‘…all the contortions of the legs and distortions of the hip and foot required by the hard work of dancing. His colour is generally a little muted’ (R90I,p19). Castagnary praised him for his ‘accurate drawing’ R90I,p17)

Edgar Degas: 2IE-1876-36, Portraits dans un bureau (Nouvelle-Orléans) = CR320, 1873, Le bureau de coton à la Nouvelle Orléans, 73x92, MBA Pau (iR2;iR23;R90II,p48+34;R2,p161+170;R26,no356;R114,no320;R231-1+2;M170) Purchased in 1878. Expos: =EU-1900-C-209, Intérieur d'un comptoir de coton à la Nouvelle-Orléans (Musée de Pau). — Edgar Degas: 2IE-1876-36, Portraits dans un bureau (Nouvelle-Orléans) = CR320, 1873, Le bureau de coton à la Nouvelle Orléans, 73×92, MBA Pau (iR2;iR23;R90II,p48+34;R2,p161+170;R26,no356;R114,no320;R231-1+2;M170) Purchased in 1878. Expos: =EU-1900-C-209, Intérieur d’un comptoir de coton à la Nouvelle-Orléans (Musée de Pau)

Edgar Degas: 1874-78, CR361, La Repasseuse a contre jour, thinned oil, 45x54, MA Avignon (iR10;iR94;aR23;R26,no408;R90II,p7;R114,no361;M172?) Expos: compare: 2IE-1876-54, Blanchisseuse; =Saint-Peterbourg-1912-177. — Edgar Degas: 1874-78, CR361, La Repasseuse a contre jour, thinned oil, 45×54, MA Avignon (iR10;iR94;aR23;R26,no408;R90II,p7;R114,no361;M172?) Expos: compare: 2IE-1876-54, Blanchisseuse; =Saint-Peterbourg-1912-177.

1876:
Here you will find a summary of the reviews on the 2nd ‘impressionist’ exposition related to Edgar Degas.
See the link for the art-works he showed in 1876.
Edgar Degas was mentioned in 34 reviews. Burty (Rv43+16) makes clear that his ‘drawings of dancers’ (no.51) hung in room 1; it is unclear where his other drawing (no.59) and pastel (no.42) did hung. His paintings were hung in room 3 (Rv16+28+43). Claretie (Rv17) calls him ‘leader of the group’. Enault (Rv36) remarks ‘Degas is perhaps one of the most intransigent of this intransigent company’. Bagnières (Rv41) called Degas ’the pontificate of the sect of the intransigent impressionists’ and also that when they one day will be masters ‘M. Degas will hold the place that M. Ingres occupies among us, while that of M. Delacroix is reserved for M. Claude Monet, the dazzling colorist of the club.’ By some Degas is compared with Daumier (Rv6).
His Nouvelle-Orléans (no.36) is often reviewed and praised (16x), also in the more negative reviews. But Zola (Rv54) is critical ‘The misfortune is that he spoils everything by finishing.’ Some notice that Degas cuts of his canvasses (Rv28+41). Others remark that Degas tends ’to look rather at the bizarre or the ugly than the graceful’ (Rv32+28). In the same line Laurent-Pichet (Rv60) writes ‘Degas has achieved perfection in unpleasantness and incompleteness (…) these milliners, ballerinas and others do not seek to charm with their grace or beauty’. Ernest Fillonneau (Rv27) notes ’the other paintings of the artist are in general vulgar in sentiment and execution.’
Several find his pictures unfinished (Rv35+38+40+43), but Burty (Rv43) finds them ‘sufficient to prove … his intimate acquaintance with modern life’. And Dax (=Rivière; Rv51) even calls him an ‘impeccable draftsman’. Dolent (Rv58) mentions that he ‘has the ability to render what he senses’.
Chaumelin (Rv33) remarks ‘Degas follows the ‘école des taches’. Baron Schop (Rv31) remarks that his canvasses ‘are of a joyfull realism’. Wolff (Rv24) is very critical ‘Degas doesn’t understand the basic qualities of art, like drawing, colour and execution.’ Zola (Rv54) remarks ‘This painter has a deep love of modernity, interiors and types of everyday life.’

1877:
Here you will find a summary of the reviews on the 3rd ‘impressionist’ exposition related to Edgar Degas.
See the link for the art-works he showed in 1877.

1879:
Here you will find a summary of the reviews on the 4th ‘impressionist’ exposition related to Edgar Degas.
See the link for the art-works he showed in 1879.

1880:
Here you will find a summary of the reviews on the 5th ‘impressionist’ exposition related to Edgar Degas.
See the link for the art-works he showed in 1880.

1881:
Here you will find a summary of the reviews on the 6th ‘impressionist’ exposition related to Edgar Degas.
See the link for the art-works he showed in 1881.

1886:
Here you will find a summary of the reviews on the 8th ‘impressionist’ exposition related to Edgar Degas.
See the link for the art-works he showed in 1886.

Sources:
See the pages on the reviews per year (note only 1874 +1876 is available).
Most of these reviews are gathered by Ruth Berson (1996=R90I).
See at the bottom of the main page on Edgar Degas.

Recommanded citation: “Impressionism: Edgar Degas, an overview of the given reviews. Last modified 2026/03/31. https://www.impressionism.nl/degas-reviews/”

Note: more info will be added.