Edgar Degas, Combing the Hair (La Coiffure)

ca 1896

Edgar Degas,Combing the Hair (La Coiffure)

ca 1896

Paintings sorted by     Historical period   |   Painter   |  Subject matter   |  Pigments used

Edgar-Degas-Combing-the-Hair

Overview

Medium: Oil
Support: Canvas
Size: 114,3 cm x 146,7 cm

Art period: Impressionism, Realism
National Gallery London
NG 4865

Pigments

Pigment Analysis

Degas painted several versions of a scene in which a woman has her hair combed by a maid, but this painting is special for its almost monochromatic outlook. The painting is a celebration of reds in many shades and intensities.

 

degas-combing-the-hair-pigments

 

The wall behind the curtain and behind the woman’s dress (Nr 1) is painted in a mixture of red ochre and lead white.

degas-combing-the-hair-wall-1

 

The paint in the curtain (Nr 2) contains red ochre mixed with a little vermilion and red lead.

degas-combing-the-hair-curtain-2

 

The dress (Nr 3) is painted in vermilion, containing small amounts of red lead and red ochre.

degas-combing-the-hair-dress-3

 

The orange wall behind the maid on the right side (Nr 4) is painted in red lead with a small addition of viridian

degas-combing-the-hair-background-right-4

 

The yellow brush (Nr 5) is one of the contrasting elements in the sea of red paint. It is painted in yellow ochre.

degas-combing-the-hair-brush-5

 

The tablecloth (Nr 6), another accent, contains viridian.

degas-combing-the-hair-table-cloth-6

 

References

(1) Bomford D, Herring S, Kirby J, Riopelle C, Roy A. Art in the Making: Degas. London: National Gallery Company, 2004, pp. 142-149.

Resources

Videos

Video: 'Degas, Combing the Hair' by Cecily Brown, National Gallery London

Video: 'Edgar Degas' by documentary tv

Video: 'Edgar Degas: A collection of 658 paintings (HD)' by LearnFromMasters

Publications and Websites

Publications

(1) Bomford D, Herring S, Kirby J, Riopelle C, Roy A. Art in the Making: Degas. London: National Gallery Company, 2004, pp. 142-149.

(2) Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas, Combing the Hair (‘La Coiffure’) about 1896, National Gallery London.

(3) Theodore Reff, The Technical Aspects of Degas’s Art, Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 4 (1971), pp. 141-166, DOI: 10.2307/1512619.