Seated Nude Combing Her Hair 1890

Edgar Degas made this pastel drawing titled 'Seated Nude Combing Her Hair'. The artwork uses a muted palette of pinks, oranges, and reds to create an intimate scene. The texture of the pastel lends a soft, almost dreamlike quality to the composition. Degas’s interest lies in the formal arrangement of shapes and lines. The nude is not idealized but presented with a focus on the play of light and shadow across her form. The composition is built around the interplay between the figure and the patterned background, creating a tension between depth and flatness. The loose, expressive strokes of pastel challenge traditional academic painting, moving towards a modern aesthetic. The structure is defined by the tension between spontaneous mark-making and carefully constructed composition. Degas engages with ideas about representing modern life, moving away from historical or mythological subjects to focus on everyday scenes. The drawing offers a study in form and perception.