Woman Brushing Her Hair 1889

Edgar Degas made this pastel drawing, "Woman Brushing Her Hair," capturing an intimate, private moment. The composition is striking for its informal, almost voyeuristic quality. Notice how the woman's figure dominates the foreground, her long hair cascading down, a mass of tangled lines and tonal variations. Degas uses a limited palette – ochre, red, blue, brown – to create a sense of warmth, but also of enclosure. The visible strokes of pastel emphasize the materiality of the artwork, reminding us of the artist's hand and process. The woman’s form is defined not by smooth contours, but by hatched marks that give volume to the hair. This technique aligns with the broader Impressionist project of capturing fleeting moments and subjective experiences. Degas destabilizes traditional notions of beauty by focusing on an unglamorous scene of everyday life. The woman, absorbed in her task, is captured in a moment of unguarded vulnerability. This emphasis on the everyday challenges established artistic conventions, inviting viewers to find beauty in the ordinary and prompting us to reconsider how art can reflect life.