DVD Degas, The Body Stripped Bare

Edgar Degas

Setting aside the silks and satins reveals the nude body. But it also unveils flesh in motion, unguarded stances. It exposes, exponentially, hitherto hidden movements.

Degas was a genius, reaching his goal at the rawest extreme of representation. His "obscene" brothel nudes were a high-definition...

Edgar Degas

Setting aside the silks and satins reveals the nude body. But it also unveils flesh in motion, unguarded stances. It exposes, exponentially, hitherto hidden movements.

Degas was a genius, reaching his goal at the rawest extreme of representation. His "obscene" brothel nudes were a high-definition extension of his paintings of women bathing, or dancers backstage.

Degas, The Body Stripped Bare reviews the painter's oeuvre, revealing its modernism. The film highlights his issues with the mores of his era, as well as his deep involvement with a culture in transition.

By focusing on how Degas treated the nude, and on his choice of settings and subjects, the film explores the status of the painter, the viewer, and the model. This approach to Degas emphasizes the modernity and acuity of his vision as a painter.

Engaging directly with the eloquence of the canvases, the film allows them to speak for themselves. Its narrative is woven from Edgar Degas's actions as a painter and sculptor-probing the intimacy of the line and substance of his works.