Painting reproduction on canvas of the artwork
Hélène Rouart in Her Father’s Study (Degas)

This large portrait, housed at the National Gallery, depicts Hélène Rouart, the daughter of Henri Rouart, a great friend and patron of Degas. She is seated in her father’s study, a place filled with works of art and mementos, including an Egyptian sarcophagus. Hélène appears pensive and a little melancholic. Degas is not content with just painting a likeness; he captures the atmosphere of an intellectual and artistic environment, and the psychology of his model, perhaps a little overwhelmed by her paternal heritage. It is a portrait of remarkable depth and complexity.