Roman Beggar Woman by Degas

Painted during his classical training in Italy, this realistic and dignified early work titled “Roman Beggar Woman” reveals the precocious talent of Degas Edgar. This attentive painter chooses to represent a popular figure with great human solemnity. By avoiding any cheap misery or picturesque sentimentality, the artist bestows a monumental and solemn dignity upon his model, thus testifying to his early and deep naturalistic sensitivity.

An elderly Roman peasant woman is seated in profile, facing toward the left side of the composition. She leans firmly and with dignity against a tall beige brick doorjamb located on the right side of the picture. She wears a simple brown dress, a dark apron adorned with pretty blue patterns, and a large plaid headscarf with red, yellow, and white stripes covering her head. Her wrinkled and tired hands are joined peacefully in her lap This. On the floor to the left, a small terracotta pot and a piece of white bread are placed on the red-ochre ground.

The remarkable technique of oil on canvas is reflected in a vigorous modeling and dense, textured materials. The artist uses a palette of warm, earthy tones, sculpted by a direct light coming from the left, to give a striking three-dimensional presence to this humble figure.