Edgar Degas: A Strange New Beauty (Kids)

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Introduction

Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas. Introduction 6000

Narrator: Welcome to Edgar Degas: A Strange New Beauty!

The French artist Degas looked closely at the world around him. Whether he was wandering the city streets, sitting in a cafe at night, or visiting the countryside, he was intrigued by both the everyday and the extraordinary.

Degas made pictures of what he saw using paint, charcoal, pastel, and ink.  Today we’ll see how he experimented with a kind of printmaking called monotype. He drew with ink on a metal plate, sandwiched it to a sheet of paper, and then put it through a printing press.

Jodi Hauptman: It's a very simple process, but it could be a very messy one.

Narrator: That’s Jodi Hauptman. She’s a curator here at MoMA and she helped put this exhibition together.

Ready to see what he made? Let’s get started.