Profile Portrait of Degas n.d.

Curator: This drypoint etching presents a profile portrait of Edgar Degas by Marcellin Desboutin, held here at the Art Institute of Chicago. The date of its creation remains unknown. Editor: It feels intensely personal, doesn't it? Almost like a fleeting impression caught on paper. The sketchy lines give a sense of immediacy. Curator: The etching technique, especially drypoint, lends itself to that kind of raw, almost impulsive expression. Desboutin was a master of it. Notice the network of lines creating shadow and texture, almost as if we are observing the mental energy of Degas himself. Editor: Definitely. And think about the social context. Desboutin and Degas were contemporaries, part of the artistic circles in Paris. This wasn't a commissioned piece, but a study of a fellow artist. These intimate portraits often reveal much about the artists’ relationship. Curator: Exactly. Desboutin also seems to capture something essential about Degas's public persona. That stern profile, the slight downward cast of the eyes, conveys a sense of seriousness and perhaps even a touch of melancholy. What do you make of the gaze averted from the viewer? Editor: It makes him seem thoughtful, self-contained. The averted gaze could signify Degas’s commitment to observing the world, but perhaps also signals social alienation in the quickly modernizing environment of late 19th Century Paris. Curator: I agree. The marks really become emblematic, like little whispers about his life. Beyond being a mere likeness, this portrait invites us to contemplate Degas's own inner world. Editor: Thinking about the medium too, this etching likely circulated among a small circle of fellow artists and collectors. These prints democratized the image of Degas, circulating his persona into the cultural ether. It emphasizes the networks by which an image or idea enters society, rather than existing in a vacuum. Curator: In that sense, Desboutin's print acted as a vehicle, helping to cement Degas's reputation, shaping his future reception. Editor: It also raises the question of the artist’s image, and how much control he had of it, despite the intimacy of the drawing process. Ultimately, it's a really potent and compelling snapshot of a genius observed by another. Curator: Indeed, the dialogue between artists, their influences and mutual perceptions, are permanently captured within.