Landscape with Rocks 1893

Edgar Degas made this landscape with rocks using pastel sticks. It's a traditional art material, yes, but one that has a particular character. Pastels are pure pigment bound very lightly together, and that gives them an immediacy no other medium can quite match. In this work, you can almost feel Degas dragging the sticks across the textured paper, building up the image with layers of strokes. You can also see how he’s exploited the pastel’s powdery quality. He’s not trying to create the illusion of smooth blended colour, as with oil paint, but instead leaves the marks visible. This gives the work a vibrant, almost shimmering effect. The strokes are like a woven surface. It's a tactile experience, and speaks to Degas’s understanding of the relationship between material, technique, and artistic expression. Ultimately, it’s a reminder that the materials and making process are just as important as the subject matter in understanding the full meaning of an artwork, challenging our traditional ideas about what we call "art."