Degas in a Green Jacket 1856

Edgar Degas painted this portrait, titled 'Degas in a Green Jacket', using oil on canvas. Degas’s own identity, steeped in the cultural milieu of 19th-century France, profoundly shaped his artistic vision. At the time in France, portraiture was deeply entwined with social status. This self-portrait is an intimate look at the artist himself, against the traditional function of portraiture as a display of wealth. It suggests a deliberate departure from those norms. The somber color palette and introspective gaze evoke a sense of melancholy. Degas never explicitly aligned himself with any particular political movement, but his art often engaged with the realities of class, gender, and the rapidly changing social landscape of his time. While the painting invites reflection on identity and social context, it also resonates on a personal level, capturing a quiet moment of contemplation that speaks to our own humanity.