Degas & Cassatt
Degas & Cassatt: A Solitary Dance by Salva Rubio and Efa paints the biographical portrait of one of the 19th century’s most perplexing artists, Edgar Degas. At first glance, Degas’ famous paintings of ballerinas in calm, strong poses might make audiences think the artist was much the same. The truth, however, is that he was a man who puzzled, offended, or intrigued just about everyone around him.
Degas & Cassatt begins with an elderly Mary Cassatt visiting the Degas family tomb where her friend’s remains lie, asking herself, “Did anyone really know him?” He was uncompromising yet frequently generous, giving candy and decent wages to ballerinas as models who were often otherwise forced into prostitution. Family financial troubles humiliated him, and the appearance of money haunted him even in his wealthiest days.
Degas fought for recognition and made daring choices in his subjects, but then he became oddly deeply offended that the Musee du Luxembourg wished to show his work so much he retreated into private galleries. Degas frequently painted women, yet he was vocally misogynistic. He never married and, beyond a few unfounded rumors (which he may have even started himself), never even had any romantic affairs. He hated dogs, quoted scripture and Classical philosophy, and proved to be confoundingly human above all else.
As Rubio and Efa portray Degas, he is not an artist isolated in time but a crucial part of the art scene in latter 19th-century Paris. Degas is a lifelong friend of Manet, except for their disagreement about the Salon, against which Degas strives to establish an independent art world. To found an art show outside of the Salon, he teams with nature and landscape artists like Monet and Levert despite his contempt for nature painting; Pissarro and Brandon, who paint scenes of Jewish life even though Degas makes anti-Semitic remarks; Renoir and Cézanne, both Bohemians while Degas disparages the Bohemian lifestyle.
The relationships are complex to say the least, but they pale in comparison with his years of friendship with American Impressionist Mary Cassatt. Daughter of a Pittsburgh industrialist, she comes to Paris dedicating herself to becoming an artist. Degas mentors her, connecting her with art collectors and suggesting improvements to her paintings even when she does not want them. Cassatt appreciates the good and tolerates her frustrations at his glib remarks and disdain for her dogs, enjoying their relationship since he seems to be the one artist who does not try to seduce her. She is surprised when she discovers later that Degas commented she would have been the one woman he could have married.
Rubio’s research in Degas & Cassatt gives great merit to the biography. He pulls from Degas’ letters and journals to give an intimate perspective, often quoting directly from the artist’s own words. In an afterword that poses the question “Did Monsieur Degas ever find peace?”, snippets from letters show Degas miserable in bachelorhood but even more miserable at the thought of being married. As a lifelong perfectionist who struggled for years to finish a painting, it is no wonder he would struggle in a relationship.
Throughout Degas and Cassatt, Efa’s artwork shines. The painted panels throughout the graphic novel immediately hark back to the golden age of Impressionism, with wafting, mixed colors and bold lines to make characters and backgrounds stand out. Many historical artworks make appearances, such as Le Classe de danse with an array of ballerinas under a strict teacher, but the true art is seeing the artists come alive through Efa’s portrayal. Readers will never look at the paintings, or the artists, the same way again.
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