"The Old Italian Woman," painted by Edgar Degas in 1857, is a significant oil on canvas work from the artist's formative years. Created during Degas's pivotal stay in Italy, where he devoted himself to classical training and copying Old Masters, this painting exemplifies his early commitment to rigorous academic realism and traditional portraiture.
The work captures an insightful study of women, likely a local resident posed for the artist while he was traveling near Rome or Florence. The meticulous brushwork and detailed rendering of the sitter’s face reveal a technique focused on precision, contrasting sharply with the looser, more spontaneous style Degas would later embrace. The earthy palette emphasizes the weight of age and experience reflected in the woman's deeply lined features and intense, direct gaze. This early portraiture showcases Degas’s nascent talent for conveying psychological complexity, a trait that would define his most successful figure studies.
This canvas documents the artist's journey from strict academic discipline toward independent creation. It provides valuable context for understanding the foundation upon which Degas built his groundbreaking career. This historically important painting is housed within the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Due to its age and prominence, high-quality prints of this masterful early Degas work are widely distributed and available through public domain collections, ensuring its accessibility for study and appreciation.
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