Dancers in Green and Yellow 1904

Degas made "Dancers in Green and Yellow" with pastels and charcoal, and it's this powdery, smudgy quality that gives the whole scene a dreamlike feel. It’s all about the layers of marks, where one color peeks through another. If you get up close, you'll see the rawness of the strokes. Degas wasn't trying to hide anything. The texture of the paper, the way the pastel skips and catches, it’s all part of the dance. Look at the way he renders the tulle skirts, with these scribbly lines that somehow create the illusion of fluffy, layered fabric. The colors aren't blended perfectly; there are bits of blue and pink mixed with the green and yellow, creating this shimmering effect. It's almost like he’s saying, "Here, look at how I made this," while also capturing the fleeting beauty of these dancers in motion. Think of Manet, who was doing something similar at the time, but Degas had his own way of doing things, and that’s what makes his work so special.