Diego Martelli
1879
Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917)
Drawings
Diego Martelli, 1879. Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917). Charcoal and white chalk; sheet: 44 x 31.3 cm (17 5/16 x 12 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1953.268 This sheet is one of many studies that Degas made in 1879 of his friend and supporter, the Italian art critic and patron Diego Martelli (1839-1896). Martelli was one of the most important champions of progressive modern art in Italy, and his writings on the 1879 Impressionist show became famous, playing a crucial role in publicizing the movement. This sheet relates to two painted portraits of the critic, one in the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, and the other in the National Museum of Fine Arts, Buenos Aires. The ghostly white tone of Diego Martelli's face was likely pink or peach when Degas made the work, and has gradually faded over time.
- Maker/Artist
- Degas, Edgar
- Classification
- Drawing
- Formatted Medium
- charcoal and white chalk
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 44 x 31.3 cm (17 5/16 x 12 5/16 in.)
- Inscribed
- Inscription: stamped in red, at lower left: Degas estate stamp (Lugt 658)
- Departments
- Drawings
- Accession Number
- 1953.268
- Credit Line
- John L. Severance Fund
- Exhibitions
- Department of Prints and Drawings Opening Exhibition, Aspects of Drawing, Drawings, French Drawings, Drawings by Edgar Degas, Degas 1879, Idea to Image: Preparatory Studies from the Renaissance to Impressionism, The Impressionist Aesthetic, National Schools of Style, Directions in Drawing: 1750-1988, French Drawings from the Collection, Edgar Degas and the Italians in Paris, <em>Edgar Degas: Pastelle, Olskizzen, Zeichnungen. </em>Kunsthalle Tubingen (January 14 - March 18, 1984); Nationalgalerie, Berlin (April 4 - May 20, 1984)., <em>Degas 1879</em>. National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh (August 13 - September 30, 1979)., <em>Drawings by Degas</em>. City Art Museum, St. Louis (January 20 - February 26, 1967); Philadelphia Museum of Art (March 10 - April 30, 1967); Minneapolis Institute of Arts (May 16 - June 25, 1967).
- Rights Statement
- CC0
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