Dancer 1878

Edgar Degas captured this dancer with pastels, a medium that bridges drawing and painting. It's essentially pure pigment, bound into stick form. Notice how Degas used the pastel to build up layers of color. This is especially evident in the dancer’s tutu, where he applied strokes in a flurry of white, blue, and pink, conveying the lightness and ethereal quality of the garment. The textured marks give a sense of movement, echoing the dancer's pose. Pastels, while delicate, are also direct. The artist bypasses the mixing of paints, applying color straight to the surface. This immediacy suited Degas’s interest in capturing fleeting moments, the everyday lives of ordinary people, especially the working class girls employed in the Paris Opera. Degas's choice of pastels elevates a medium often associated with sketching to the realm of high art. Ultimately, it reminds us that the value of art lies not only in its subject but also in the artist’s skillful manipulation of materials.