A Café-Concert Singer

"A Café-Concert Singer" by Edgar Degas French, 1834-1917, is a sophisticated example of the artist’s graphic production, dating from 1877-1878. Classified as a print, the work utilizes the demanding combination of drypoint and aquatint executed in black ink on ivory laid paper. This technical approach allowed Degas to achieve a rich tonal range and delicate line work characteristic of his mature style, granting the print a nuanced atmospheric quality.

Degas was keenly interested in the world of Parisian entertainment, moving away from traditional historical subjects to focus on the fleeting and spontaneous moments of contemporary urban life in France. This piece isolates a performer, likely caught mid-song or mid-gesture under the glare of artificial stage lights, capturing the vibrant essence of the café-concerts that flourished during the Third Republic. Degas’s experimentation with printmaking was integral to his practice, allowing him to endlessly revise and refine compositions, exploring complex poses and cropped views that suggest the influence of photography.

The dynamic, almost candid viewpoint employed by Degas lends the image an immediacy fitting for the subject matter. Such focus on modern spectacle places this work firmly within the concerns of the Impressionist movement, even as Degas maintained a rigorous attention to line and form. This significant graphic work is preserved in the comprehensive collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The enduring interest in the urban scenes captured by this 19th-century master ensures that fine art prints of his studies frequently become available through public domain resources.