James Tissot

Tissot and Degas became acquainted in the early 1860s and maintained a close friendship for about fifteen years. These well-educated gentlemen also shared a passion for Japanese prints (they were among the earliest collectors in France) and the depiction of modern life. The large areas of relatively flat color against which the figures are silhouetted placed is a device Tissot likely borrowed from Japanese prints. (See the related exhibition on the 6th floor, Japonisme: Japanese Prints and Their Influence in 19th-Century France.)