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...of Mallarme.
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Mallarme's famous riposte to Degas that "'you can't make a poem with ideas.... You make it with words'" has ensured that Degas's desire to write poetry has not been forgotten (Valery 62). Nevertheless, ever since their first publication, Degas's reason for writing these poems has remained enigmatic to scholars. Although several have been published, both as a collection and separately, to date very little critical examination of them has been undertaken. Degas's sonnets were first published with a commentary by Jean Nepveu Degas in 1946, in the only edition to treat them as a unique body of work. And yet, Degas took his poetic venture seriously; more importantly, he adopted as models the sonnets, principles, and critical writings of his friend, the Symbolist poet, Stephane Mallarme. While it is important to understand that Degas had no ambition to publish these sonnets, it is clear that he considered them seriously enough to share them in certain cultural circles, supporting the notion that they should be scrutinized as part of his total oeuvre.
There is a close parallel between changes in Degas's artistic style in the 1880s and 1890s and his decision to try his hand at poetry. At this point, his art was developing into a more abstract, symbolic style more concerned with form and experience than narrative or subject. For example, he was moving away from his naturalist representations of the ballet as seen in L'Etoile (see Illus. 1), opting instead for more abstract representations with vivid colours and suggested, rather than literal, scenes as in Les danseuses bleues (see Illus. 2). Simultaneously, he was turning with renewed and increased interest to another medium: small-scale sculpture. Reading and understanding his poetry as an innovative and exciting medium through which he expressed themes similar to those he explored in his visual art provides the best perspective for our understanding of some aspects of his late works.
In this essay, I examine selected facets of Degas's poetry and its apparent debt to the principles and practices of Mallarme's poetry and critical writings on dance. This essay is not intended to be an exegetical analysis and critique of the sonnets on their own merit. Degas's poetry is best understood in the spirit of interdisciplinarity, an interest in the inherent qualities of the written word and its relation to painting. While some recent scholarship has considered the aesthetic link between Mallarme and Degas, to date, little work has been done, and none on the triangular relationship between the sonnets, Mallarme's theories, and Degas's own paintings. The question is, therefore, not whether the poems are successful in their attempt to implement Mallarmean principles. The question is rather what influence these principles might have exerted over the vocabulary of his plastic arts. My analysis will thus focus on the examination of Degas's sonnets as an integral element of his overall artistic expression, a means to a dynamic end.
An extremely important element of Degas's poetry is the distinct thematic link to his visual arts. Of the twenty sonnets alluded to by Paul Valery, only eight have been published. Four address the theme of the dance, one the horse and jockey; one is a tribute to Heredia; one centres on Mary Cassatt's parrot; and the eighth is an ode to the opera singer Rose Caron, of whom he painted a portrait the following year (Mallarme, Documents 157). About the other twelve we can only speculate. Evidence from a letter written by Berthe Morisot indicates that at least one of them was concerned with the theme of the bather. This indicates the presence of more poems that thematically parallel another of the most prevalent motifs in his art of this period. I will be working on the premise that, while there is clearly diversity in the works, the dominant themes most likely parallel those of his visual works.
Degas's decision to write about the themes to which he had already dedicated his visual attention carries greater significance than merely demonstrating a choice by the artist to address his most common subjects. As with so many of his paintings, the majority of the extant sonnets focus on the theme of the performer. Specifically, four are dedicated to dance. A prime example is simply entitled "Danseuse."
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Elle danse en mourant, comme autour d'un roseau, D'une flute ou le vent triste de Weber joue; Le ruban de ses pas s'entortille et se noue, Son corps s'affaisse et tombe en un geste d'oiseau. Sifflent les violons, Fraiche, du bleu de l'eau, Silvana vient, et la, curieuse s'ebroue. Le bonheur de revivre et l'amour pur se joue Sur ses yeux, sur ses seins, sur tout l'etre nouveau, Et ses pieds de satin brodent, comme l'aiguille, Des dessins de plaisir. La capricante fille Use mes pauvres yeux, a la suivre peinant. Mais d'un signe toujours cesse le beau mystere: Elle retire trop les jambes en sautant: C'est un saut de grenouille aux mares de Cythere. (Degas, Sonnet IV)
His specificity in mentioning the composer Karl Maria von Weber and the lead character Silvana demonstrates well Degas's interest in marrying the arts of music, dance, and poetry--capturing the essence of several different experiences in one vivid and droll poem.
A seminal consideration of the relationship between Degas and Mallarme has been written by Rosemary Lloyd in her book Mallarme: The Poet and his Circle. In it, she highlights the considerable personal and social interaction between the two men. She indicates the regular meetings at Berthe Morisot's Thursday night dinners (131). Lloyd also stresses the intimate photograph of Mallarme in which the artist captured, as she notes, "the essence of their relationship" (Poet 136). Most importantly, she focuses on a rhyme written by Mallarme acknowledging the poetry of Degas:
Rue, au 23, Ballu. J'exprime Sitot Juin a Monsieur Degas La Satisfaction qu'il rime Avec la fleur des syringes. (qtd. in Poet 136)
Lloyd also provides an insightful interpretation of Mallarme's understanding of, and appreciation for, Degas's art. She examines the oft-cited passage from Mallarme's "Ballets" from Crayonne au Theatre, a highly visible...
NOTE: All illustrations and photos
have been removed from this article.
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