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Hilaire-Germain- was born on July 19, 1834, at 8 rue Saint-George's in Paris. His father, Auguste, a banker, was French, and his mother, Célestine, an American from New Orleans. The family name "Degas" had been changed to "De Gas" by some family members in Naples ....

Middle of Essay
.... He copied works by earlier artists and executed his own history paintings, portraits, and scenes of daily life. Degas eventually ended his efforts at history painting and devoted more attention to portraiture, turning images of relatives and friends into complex psychological studies. His oils and pastels depict the inhabitants of the world of sports, business, ballet, and the cafes in their self-conscious posturing and characteristic gestures. He has numerous paintings of jockeys, dancers, laundresses and prostitutes. Another favorite subject was a model at her bath. Degas' observation of movement resulted in the radical compositions that pres ....