In his book on Degas, Bernd Growe suggests that Degas was especially drawn to Estelle Musson because of their common vision problem: she had lost all vision in her left eye by 1869 and her right eye was deteriorating rapidly, while Degas suffered from a mild dysentery condition. Even the author and essayist Christopher Benfey, who notes in his book Degas in New Orleans that Degas’ mild eye problem was more an excuse to “paint what he felt like painting, and to stay – where he always preferred to stay – indoors” (Benfey 100), does not discard their common condition as a plausible catalyst for their close relationship, which was "already palpable" only a week after they met (Benfey 53). Indeed, Degas’ constant references to his “poor Estelle…. blind as you know” (Kay 15), and such paintings as Femme Assis Pres d’un Balcon, suggest that Degas subconsciously saw his own impending blindness in Estelle’s deteriorating condition. In the portrait, for instance, the outline of the railing fades into Estelle’s eyes, which are somewhat smeared. Additionally, the railing, the floor and the balcony view are not clearly illustrated, but are rather composed of faded lines and solid colors: could Degas’ ambiguity have been an effort to depict Estelle the way she would have seen herself, as if he were preparing for his own blindness?
Images:
Degas, Edgar. Femme Assis Pres d'un Balcon. Ordrupgaard, Copenhagen, Denmark, Lemoisne, 1872.