|
|
Article: "Degas the Sonneteer": transcending disciplinary boundaries and building a new aesthetic.(Edgar Degas)(Critical essay)
- Article from:
- Mosaic (Winnipeg)
- Article date:
- September 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 University of Manitoba, Mosaic. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Late in his career, Degas turned to poetry as a new form of artistic expression. This essay analyzes this poetry in terms of the theoretical and physical process of his contemporary visual works. It also examines the similarities between the poetic principles and practices of Degas with those of Mallarme.
**********
Mallarme's famous riposte to Degas that "'you can't make a poem with ideas.... You make it with words'" has ensured that Degas's desire to write poetry has not been forgotten (Valery 62). Nevertheless, ever since their first publication, Degas's reason for writing these poems has remained enigmatic to scholars. Although several have been ...