Oil Paint
Oil paint is a slow-drying paint made with pigment and a drying oil binder. It is widely used for artwork because it blends smoothly and develops rich color.
Painter
Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas was a French artist associated with the Impressionists, known for ballet dancers, horse racing, portraits, and scenes of modern Parisian life.
Related: Claude Monet · Édouard Vuillard
Edgar Degas quick facts
Review key details about Edgar Degas's life, career, French art context, major periods, and the subjects and methods that shaped his painting practice.
| Full name | Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas |
|---|---|
| Born | July 19, 1834 · Paris, France |
| Died | September 27, 1917 · Paris, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Associated movement | Impressionism, although Degas preferred the term realist |
| Paint media | Oil paint · Watercolor · Gouache |
| Other media | Pastel, monotype, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, and photography |
| Common subjects | Ballet dancers, horse racing, portraits, bathers, cafés, and modern urban life |
Sources: National Gallery of Art, The Met: The Rehearsal of the Ballet Onstage, The Met: Dancer Onstage, and National Gallery of Art: The Races.
Paint types used
See the paint types documented in Degas's work, with links to PaintZeal references explaining each medium's properties, uses, and working characteristics.
Watercolor Paint
Watercolor paint is a water-based art medium made with pigment and a water-soluble binder. It is known for transparent color that settles into absorbent paper.
Gouache Paint
Gouache paint is an opaque, water-based art medium made with pigment and a water-soluble binder. Traditional formulas dry to a matte finish and can be reactivated with water.
Surface types used
See the surface types documented in Degas's work, with links to PaintZeal references explaining how each support behaves and is prepared for painting.
Canvas
Canvas is a woven fabric support used for paintings, banners, bags, décor, and other projects. Artist canvas may be raw, sized, acrylic-primed, oil-primed, or factory-coated, and each condition changes how paint absorbs and bonds.
Paper
Paper is an absorbent sheet material made primarily from cellulose fibers. Its weight, sizing, surface texture, and wet strength determine how much paint it can accept before buckling, pilling, bleeding, or warping.