Portrait of a Man (Portrait d'homme)
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
In this enigmatic painting, an unidentified man in modern bourgeois attire sits in a chair among cuts of meat. A platter bearing sausage and a bloody, freshly carved pig’s trotter rests on the cloth-covered table, and what appears to be a rib roast sits on another platter (or is it an artist’s palette?) on the floor. Midway between these two plates of dead animal flesh are the man’s clasped hands, which reinforce the melancholic mood of his partly shadowed face. Behind him hangs another cloth partially covering some indecipherable images (perhaps meat?) in a frame on the wall.
It has been suggested that the scene depicts a butcher’s shop, a restaurant, or, more likely, an artist in his studio—a theme that Edgar Degas explored in numerous works. A disquieting combination of portraiture and still life, the image thwarts easy explanation.
Caption
Edgar Degas Paris, France, 1834–1917, Paris, France. Portrait of a Man (Portrait d'homme), ca. 1866. Oil on canvas, 34 x 25 1/2 in. (86.4 x 64.8 cm) Frame: 44 3/4 x 36 1/4 x 4 5/8 in. (113.7 x 91.4 x 12.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Collection Fund, 21.112. No known copyright restrictions (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 21.112_PS9.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Portrait of a Man (Portrait d'homme)
Date
ca. 1866
Geography
Place made: France
Medium
Oil on canvas
Classification
Dimensions
34 x 25 1/2 in. (86.4 x 64.8 cm) Frame: 44 3/4 x 36 1/4 x 4 5/8 in. (113.7 x 91.4 x 12.1 cm)
Markings
Stamped lower right: "Degas" (Lugt 658)
Credit Line
Museum Collection Fund
Accession Number
21.112
Rights
No known copyright restrictions
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Frequent Art Questions
Did Degas often paint portraits?
Yes, in fact, he did -- before he became interested in painting scenes of the ballet (which he is famous for), he painted many portraits of individuals and groups. In the 1860s Degas repeatedly used this formula in his portraiture: a male sitter seated in a studio space, dressed in everyday clothing, with his figure framed by the rectangles of works of art on the wall. As in other portraits, this sitter is posed informally, almost awkwardly, leaning slightly to one side with his hands clasped between his knees. In 1869 Degas wrote that contemporary artists should "make portraits of people in familiar and typical attitudes"—rather than conventionalized poses. The sitter for this portrait was not identified by Degas. Degas scholars Denys Sutton and Henri Loyrette have both proposed that the man may be the British painter Robert Grahame, who was known for his still-life works. This theory is supported by the objects in the portrait, which seem to be arrangements of food for still-life studies. Grahame was known for his still-life paintings of meats, eggs, and other ordinary foods (rather than rare fruits and flowers). On the other hand, the scholar Felix Baumann has suggested that the sitter might be the artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir, based on similarities to some early photographs of Renoir. Renoir was also known to have sketched several detailed studies on a single canvas, as shown here.Did Degas often paint portraits?
Yes, he did! Degas painted many portraits early in his career, before he became known for his paintings of the ballet. Before 1872, Degas spent most of his time working on portraits of his family and friends. Although portraits are usually commissioned and some of fellow Impressionists (Monet and Renoir) sought fashionable portrait commissions throughout their careers, Degas never painted a portrait on commission, always maintaining a certain independence.Throughout his life, he chose his own subjects and was interested in capturing unguarded moments and something of an internal psychology.Do we know who this guy is?
The sitter for this portrait was never identified by Degas himself, but scholars have suggested he may be the British painter Robert Grahame, who was known for his still-life works. You'll see that some of the objects in the portrait are arrangements of food for still-life studies! The French art historian Henri Loyrette has a theory on the sitter that he will publish in June, 2016 in the catalogue accompanying the Degas retrospective in Melbourne (Australia) and Houston. Stay tuned!Thanks!You're welcome!Did Degas often paint portraits?
Yes he did! Especially earlier in his career (in the 1860s), before he came to his most famous subject (ballet dancers), Degas spent most of his time working on portraits of his family and friends. He was interested in capturing people in unguarded moments, and showing something of their psychology. Although portraits are usually commissioned, Degas never painted a portrait on commission. He always maintained a certain independence.Did Degas often paint portraits?
Although Degas is perhaps best known for his paintings of ballet dancers, he also painted many portraits during his career. In the mid-19th century, some artists began to change portraitures emphasis from social status to individual personality. These artists, including Degas, began to explore new ways of communicating the sitter's character to viewers. Do you feel like you can guess anything about this person from his portrait by Degas?Is he a butcher?That's a great guess, because of the two platters of meat, right? He may actually be an artist who painted still-lifes of food and then those plates would be his "props."He looks awkward sitting like that. I guess that an artist would find it awkward to pose for someone.Yes, he's kind of slumped, with his legs oddly bent like he's tired, or bored. If you look at some of the earlier portraits on that wall, you'll see how individuals were shown in more formal, "proper" poses. This was because the portraits were made to preserve their legacies and achievements and social status. Degas, on the other hand, is just interested in man as an individual with a personality.It makes sense. For me a portrait would have to describe a picture of your present, but the present is not what is in front of you. The present is what makes you the person that you are at the moment.You put that so well, and I agree! It's a "modern" way of thinking but it's true, we are all so much more than our facial features and our best set of clothing.Maybe Degas wanted to portray a person through what we can't recognize at first.Of course, I also enjoy very elegant traditional portraits but I find Degas's portraits so perceptive and moving. I hope you'll look up more of them online at some point! He looks deeper into the person, and he uses pictorial techniques like composition (especially unusual viewpoints and cropped edges), color palettes, and his handling of the paint to convey a feeling about that individual.
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