The Bellelli Family
1858 - 1869
Degas painted his aunt Laura Bellelli and her family during a stay in Florence, capturing a moment of deep domestic tension disguised as a formal portrait. Everyone is dressed in heavy black mourning clothes, but the real story lies in the awkward body language: the father sits isolated in his armchair, seemingly cut off from the mother who stands stiffly, her hand possessively on her daughter's shoulder. It’s a psychological drama where a crumbling marriage is laid bare through the spacing of the figures, serving as a bridge between academic realism and the Impressionism Degas would later champion.
- Technique
- Oil on canvas
- Material
- Canvas
- Dimensions
- 200 cm × 250 cm
Location: Musée d'Orsay, Paris
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