Joseph-Henri Altès 1868

This is Edgar Degas's portrait of Joseph-Henri Altès, created with oil on canvas. Degas, born in 1834, lived through a rapidly changing France, marked by industrialization and social upheaval. Altès, a celebrated flautist, here looks every bit the bourgeois Parisian. Yet, this portrait also subtly questions such simple categorization, consider the stark contrast of light and shadow on Altès's face, the asymmetry drawing our eye. This isn’t just a depiction; it’s an exploration of identity, challenging the conventional portraiture of its time. The angle emphasizes Altès's sharp features, almost as if Degas sought to capture not just his likeness, but his essence. As Degas once said, "Art is not what you see, but what you make others see." With its subdued tones, this work invites us to look beyond the surface, and consider the complexities of the individual in a time of immense change.