Jockeys c. 1887 - 1889

Edgar Degas rendered "Jockeys" with pastel, a medium of pure pigment, lightly bound. Degas often chose subjects drawn from modern life, especially the ballet and the racetrack, and the dry, friable quality of pastel was especially well suited to capture these fleeting moments. Look at the textured strokes of the smudgy pastel sticks layered on the paper's surface. Notice how the artist uses the side of the pastel to create broad areas of color, and the tip to add finer details, exploiting its powdery matte finish. The loose sketchiness conveys movement and immediacy, but don't let that fool you into thinking this was dashed off quickly. Degas was a master of composition, carefully arranging his figures to lead the eye around the scene. Through the material and the artistic processes, the artist is able to create a sense of atmosphere that evokes both the dynamism and the hidden labor of a seemingly spontaneous sketch.