Description
In Manet Seated, Turned to the Left, Degas makes the sitter’s position essential to the portrait. The bearded face turns left above a dark jacket, while a black hat rests in his lap. The chair and lighter surrounding marks establish a setting without drawing attention away from the figure. Etched lines and darker accents create an encounter that feels personal, with the seated pose providing its quiet structure.
Degas made the etching around 1868. Manet appears here as the sitter, a fellow artist whose presence is studied by Degas’s hand. The Met’s impression belongs to the first of two states, reminding us that a print can preserve a stage in an evolving design. That working character contributes to its intimacy: the portrait records both a recognizable individual and the decisions of line through which his image comes into focus.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Edgar Degas collection.
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