As to a youth of art, who was brought up admiring classical traditions and receiving systematic classical education, to become such classical masters as Ingres was undoubtedly Degas’s ideal and pursuit, but born very sensitive and having excellent intuition, Degas could not in any way reject the vivid modern life and modern emotions. When real feelings were in contradiction with classical skills and forms, Degas broke down the barriers of classical stylization, gave modern emotional force to the classical forms and instilled vitality to the neo-classic forms, which were fully embodied in Degas’s portraits.

作为一个追慕古典传统又接受系统的古典教育成长起来的艺术青年来说，成为象安格尔那样的古典大师无疑是德加的理想追求，但天性敏感，有着良好直觉的德加同样无法拒绝活生生的现代生活和现代情感，在现实感受与古典形式技巧发生矛盾之时，德加突破古典主义程式化的樊篱，赋予古典形式以现世的情感力量，为新古典主义的形式注入了生命活力，这在德加的肖像画中得到了充分体现。