Title: The Convalescent

Artist: Edgar Degas

The Convalescent About 1872–January 1887 Edgar Degas French, Paris 1834–Paris 1917 Oil on canvas The subject of this private and poignant scene may be one of the artist’s New Orleans cousins, whom he visited in late 1872. Confined to her home, she gazes listlessly into space with unfocused, watery eyes. Melancholy registers in her face and her draped, obscured body, but the reasons for her condition are not disclosed.