Arthur Rimbaud vs Edgar Degas
Two child prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Arthur Rimbaud | Edgar Degas | |
| Field | Literature | Art |
| Sub-field | Poet | Painting |
| Born | 1854 | 1834 |
| Died | 1891 | 1917 |
| Country of birth | France | France |
| Star sign | Libra | Cancer |
Who they are
Arthur Rimbaud
First major poem at age 15 · Quit writing forever at 20 Author of A Season in Hell & Illuminations · Entire output completed before age 21 Born October 20, 1854 · Charleville, France · Died November 10, 1891
Full biography of Arthur Rimbaud →
Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas was obsessed with movement — the way a dancer's tutu catches the stage light mid-pirouette, the bunched muscle of a racehorse at the starting gate, the tired slump of a laundress pressing a shirt at the end of a long day. He trained his eye like a scientist and his hand like a master draughtsman, then used both to capture modern Paris in moments of arrested motion that feel simultaneously spontaneous and eternally composed. He called himself a Realist. Others called him an Impressionist. He rejected the label but showed in seven of…
Full biography of Edgar Degas →
What they share
- Both born in France.
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- Different fields: Literature for Arthur Rimbaud, Art for Edgar Degas.
- 20 years separate their births (1854 and 1834).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Arthur Rimbaud or Edgar Degas?
- Edgar Degas. Arthur Rimbaud was born in 1854, Edgar Degas in 1834.
- What field is each of them in?
- Arthur Rimbaud is filed under Literature (Poet). Edgar Degas is filed under Art (Painting).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.