Regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism, French painter and sculptor Edgar Degas was born 1834 in Paris, France.

“A painting requires a little mystery, some vagueness, and some fantasy. When you always make your meaning perfectly plain you end up boring people.” Degas once famously said.

Degas shifted from history painting to observation of contemporary life, when he discovered the colourful modern worlds of racehorses and the theatre, developing a love for both. He began sketching and painting scenes at the racecourse around 1861 and remained faithful to racing scenes throughout his career. Inspired by Japanese prints and the new medium of photography, the analytical painter knew the horse’s anatomy extremely well.

Degas died 1917 and was laid to rest in the Montmartre Cemetery in Paris.