Degas and Impressionism: 150 Years Later

About the Class

Though Degas was a core member of the impressionist group, he sometimes found himself at odds with the artistic goals of his colleagues. Rather than taking his canvases outdoors, for example, Degas preferred to stay in his studio, where he could experiment continually in a kind of “restless search for new procedures,” as one critic described it. The artist’s technical innovations are the subject of the exhibition Edgar Degas: Multi-Media Artist in the Age of Impressionism, now on view at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

This four-week class, taught by the exhibition’s curator, will bring you into Degas’s studio. Using the Barnes’s special deep-zoom platform, we will look closely at key works in several media, exploring how Degas—constantly experimenting, searching—produced some of the most technically innovative art of his time. We will also discuss the impressionists more broadly, from their game-changing first exhibition in 1874 to the group’s dissolution in 1886, to better understand Degas’s contribution.

The class is online-only. More about online classes.

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Barnes classes will:

• Sharpen your observational and critical thinking skills.
• Improve your ability to communicate about art.
• Deepen your appreciation for cultures and histories outside your own.

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