Collect24The Global Art Registry
Edgar Degas, [Louise Halévy Reading to Degas]
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles · Digital image courtesy of Getty's Open Content ProgramView original →
Edgar Degas

[Louise Halévy Reading to Degas]

about 1895

Current Collection

J. Paul Getty Museum

Los Angeles, United States

Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
28.7 × 39.7 cm
Status
In Museum Collection
Collect24 Art ID
C24-438066

"Daylight is too easy. What I want is difficult--the atmosphere of lamps or moonlight," wrote Edgar Degas of making photographs. This self-portrait with Louise Halévy features a reading lamp prominently in the center of the composition. Halévy and Degas are rendered sketchily--a hand here, an ear there--yet the lamp is portrayed in detail. Degas did render the atmosphere of lamplight, but not the illumination from it. The shade remains dark, and Halévy casts a long shadow over the paper she is meant to be reading, indicating a source of light from behind her. However, the low light level creates an atmosphere of tranquil contemplation and sets the mood for this private scene.

Provenance

The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Registry history

  • about 1895 — Recorded in the collection of J. Paul Getty Museum — photographs

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