Mme Olivier Villette in Degas's Studio, rue Blanche

In his memoirs, Paul Joseph Sachs, Harvard Class of 1900, professor of fine arts, and associate director of the Fogg Art Museum, wrote: “Indeed, I have given proof of my faith by collecting twenty-nine works by Degas, for I am convinced that he was one of the greatest nineteenth-century French artists ...

There is a dynamic relationship between depicted light – the light effects represented in Impressionist paintings – and the inherent luminosity of the materials and methods of handling used by the painters. Understanding this relationship is crucial in evaluating the modernity and meanings of Impressionist painting. The physical properties of their chosen materials facilitated...