Anatomy of a Painting
Portrait of a Critic
Edgar Degas’ extraordinary painting of Edmond Duranty
is an expression of mutualrespect.
By Jerry N. Weiss
E
dgar Degas (French, 1834–1917)
was, among other things, a
great portrait painter. His por-
traits weren’t commissioned tributes
to pomp and vanity; rather, they
document the creative and intellec-
tual culture of Paris in the late 19th
century. Degas painted his friends
and colleagues, often in their respec-
tive studios or offices.
Louis Edmond Duranty (French,
1833–1880) was one such friend,
a member of Édouard Manet’s
artistic circle whom Degas met
around 1865. Duranty was a novel-
ist, journalist and art critic. He was
also an advocate of the new Realism
movement in painting. His most
famous critique was published in
support of the second Impressionist
exhibition and was the first signifi-
cant explanation of the group’s goals.
In a review in 1879, he wrote, “The
astonishing artist, Degas, is at this
exhibition with all his brilliance,
his whimsy, his caustic wit.” When
Duranty died the following year,
Degas organized a sale to benefit the
writer’s companion.
Degas’ ultimate tribute to his
friend is this portrait. It was
apparently painted from several
preparatory charcoal and chalk
drawings, including one penetrating
study of Duranty seated at his deskPortrait of Edmond Duranty
(1879; gouache with pastel
enlivenment on linen, 39½x39½)
by Edgar Degasand another of papers piled on the
desk itself, with filled bookshelves
behind. Portrait of Edmond Duranty
was shown in the fourth and fifth
Impressionist exhibitions.
Degas’ sensitivity to personality
was noted by novelist and critic
Joris-Karl Huysmans, who wrote of
Duranty’s “bright, mocking eye; his
acute, searching expression; his wry,
English humorist’s air; his dry, joking
little laugh—all of it recalled to me
by the painting, in which the charac-
ter of this strange analyst of human
nature is so splendidly portrayed.”
One imagines many meetings
between the two friends over the
course of 15 years. The artist and
the writer would have shared their
thoughts on realism in art—perhaps
each representing an ideological
mirror of the other. Duranty’s
admiration for Degas was expressed
through his writing; Degas returned
the sentiment with this work. PJJerry N. Weiss is a contributing writer to
fi ne art magazines. He teaches at the
Art Students League of New York.Duranty’s thoughtful
and even melancholy
personality is clearly
suggested by what
may have beena
characteristic pose.
Possibly it’s a projec-
tion of the artist’s
demeanor as well.Prior to the adventof
photography, portraits
often were painted
with the assistanceof
preliminary drawings.
Degas likely painted
this in his studio, using
as reference several
drawings he had done
earlier in Duranty’s
study. The diagonal
hatching of the fi gure
replicates that ofthe
charcoal drawing.Degas used
various points of view
in his portraits. Fora
contemporaneous
painting of a fellowart-
ist, he stood overand
looked down onthe
seated subject. Herehe
appears to have been
seated across from
Duranty, observing
him as an equal from
the same eye level.The
loaded bookshelves
create a colorfulgrid
behind the writer while
also underscoringhis
life’s interest.“The astonishing artist, Degas, is at
this exhibition with all his brilliance,
his whimsy, his caustic wit.”
6 Pastel Journal OCTOBER 2019