Degas & Monet: Deteriorating Eyesight & Artistic Vision
Research by contemporary ophthalmologists point to macular degeneration as the cause of Edgar Degas’ “infirmity of sight” that he talked about starting in the mid-1880s. Claude Monet was aware of his failing vision in 1912 and consulted several different ophthalmologists who diagnosed cataracts. This tour uses medical knowledge and computer simulation to demonstrate the relevance of their different diseases to their styles of paintings, and to better understand what Degas and Monet were facing in their late years.
Art Selections Available from the National Gallery of Art, Washington
Photo: Edgar Degas, The Dance Lesson, Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington