Woman Brushing Her Hair 1889

Curator: "Woman Brushing Her Hair," painted by Edgar Degas around 1889, looks like it’s pastel on paper. The intimacy is compelling. The woman is so absorbed, completely unaware of being watched. What strikes you most about it? Editor: The colours are incredible! The cool blue of the dress really contrasts with the warmer reds and oranges in the background and her hair. How did the materials available to Degas affect his art, and also, what meaning can we draw from this scene? Curator: Exactly. Consider the shift in artistic labor with the rise of industrially produced pastels. Artists now had access to a broader range of affordable colours than ever before. The pastels' powdery, less controllable texture also steered Degas toward a looser style of production, allowing for a more 'unfinished' intimate composition. In terms of subject matter, you could ask yourself, 'what kind of lifestyle is needed to make this moment achievable' considering the tools for that activity such as hairbrushes or the labour required to obtain them. Editor: I hadn't thought about it in terms of industry impacting his work and the lifestyle of his subjects. Were these industrially manufactured colours very accessible? Curator: Increasingly so, making art creation more democratic, yet also reshaping the artist’s relationship with their materials. The question remains: did this mass availability democratize art, or did it create new forms of material dependency and potentially, artistic detachment? Editor: I suppose it’s a bit of both. New materials opened new avenues for the artist. Curator: Precisely. Considering the changing relationship between artistic skill, the availability of manufactured art supplies, and the shift in representing domesticity opens new discussions of gender and consumption. What has struck you in this new materialist insight? Editor: I am grateful to now be aware that what goes into making the piece, makes up the piece itself in different layers. Thanks for guiding me.