01 Work, The Art of War, Edgar Degas's Scene of War in the Middle Ages, with footnotes

Edgar Degas

Scene of War in the Middle Ages, c. 1865

Oil, canvas

85 x 147 cm

Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France

In the painting nine female nudes are shot, or are being shot at, by 15th-century warriors on horseback who ride stirrupless horses with harnesses barely sketched in.

This most curious composition was exhibited at the 1865 Salon when he was 31 as a history painting, Scene of War in the Middle Ages, but it makes no sense historically. Years later, after Degas' death, it was shown once more as The Misfortunes of the City of Orléans but there is no historical event in that French town either to which it can be linked. Taking the latter title to be accurate though, Hélène Adhémar interpreted the scene as an allegory of how Union soldiers mistreated women in Orléans' American namesake, New Orleans, where a number of Degas' relatives resided. More on this painting

Edgar Degas (19 July 1834 – 27 September 1917) was a French artist famous for his paintings, sculptures, prints, and drawings. He is especially identified with the subject of dance; more than half of his works depict dancers. He is regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism, although he rejected the term, preferring to be called a realist. He was a superb draftsman, and particularly masterly in depicting movement, as can be seen in his renditions of dancers, racecourse subjects and female nudes. His portraits are notable for their psychological complexity and for their portrayal of human isolation.
At the beginning of his career, Degas wanted to be a history painter, a calling for which he was well prepared by his rigorous academic training and close study of classic art. In his early thirties, he changed course, and by bringing the traditional methods of a history painter to bear on contemporary subject matter, he became a classical painter of modern life. More on Edgar Degas

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