Beach at Ebbe 1870

Edgar Degas made this monotype, Beach at Ebbe, in France, a country undergoing rapid social and economic change in the late nineteenth century. The painting depicts a beach scene with figures scattered across the sandy expanse. Degas was associated with the Impressionist movement, but he was always his own person. While his peers focused on landscapes and pure naturalism, he kept his art rooted in social realities. The setting is a beach, a space of leisure and recreation for the emerging middle class. However, the figures are rendered with a certain distance and anonymity. The image may subtly critique the changing social landscape of France. It may point out the isolation and alienation that can accompany modernization. To fully understand this work, we might look at how the art market was changing at the time, creating new opportunities for artists like Degas, while at the same time placing new pressures on them. This piece invites us to consider the complex relationship between art, society, and the individual.