Album of Forty-five Figure Studies

The Album of Forty-five Figure Studies by Edgar Degas is a significant collection of preparatory works created over a thirteen-year period, dating from 1877 to 1890. Classified as a "Book" or drawing album, the piece utilizes black chalk applied delicately onto thin, eggshell paper, a medium choice indicative of Degas's consistent focus on capturing precise line, subtle shadow, and dynamic human movement. This format allowed the artist to compile a continuous resource of reference material.

The content consists primarily of detailed figure studies, overwhelmingly featuring female nudes in various poses. These exacting studies reveal Degas’s rigorous process for understanding human anatomy and the complexity of spontaneous gesture, often acting as the essential groundwork for his better-known paintings and pastels depicting bathers and dancers. The album provides invaluable insight into the studio practices characteristic of the late Impressionist period, emphasizing the artist's dedication to draftsmanship even while pushing the boundaries of contemporary subject matter.

This collection offers intimate insight into the methodology of Degas, showcasing the preparatory nature of his figurative work. The original material is meticulously preserved within the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it serves as an essential document of 19th-century French drawing. Because the artistic period covered falls into the late 19th century, certain individual drawings within the overall Album of Forty-five Figure Studies are entering the public domain. This shift allows scholars and enthusiasts greater access, often through high-quality downloadable prints, to the masterful black chalk drawings that defined Degas's relentless exploration of the human form.