“Pagans and Degas’ Father”
“Pagans and Degas’ Father” is an oil on canvas painting by the French artist, Edgar Degas. It dates to circa 1895, over twenty years after his father, Augustin De Gas, had died. Note that Degas’ father spelled out his last name as De Gas and not Degas. This oil painting was based off a pastel sketch that Degas had drawn in 1882, thirteen years prior. Degas finally finished his vision when he was in his sixties.
In this painting, Degas depicts the Spanish tenor singer, Lorenzo Pagans, reading a book. Several other books are resting on the table in the foreground. Degas’s father is sitting in the background. The figures of Pagans and De Gas are fleshed out much more than the surrounding room, which is painted with sparse brushstrokes.
The setting is at Degas’ father’s house, where Augustin De Gas organized regular salon performances for his family and friends. One frequent guest was the Spanish tenor, Lorenzo Pagans, who would sing accompanied by his own guitar. Degas’ father had a love of music that he instilled into his son. Details added to the final painting include the piano on the left, the table below the books, and Degas’s father in the background.
“Pagans and Degas’ Father” is currently in the private collections of Scott and Isabelle Black.
For more on Edgar Degas, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
