Three Dancers 1901

Edgar Degas made this pastel drawing, 'Three Dancers,' and it’s all about capturing a moment, right? Not some grand, finished statement, but a quick, fleeting impression. Look at the way he’s layered those strokes of color to build the dancers' skirts. It’s like he's using pure color to suggest movement and light. The texture is so alive, you can almost feel the scratch of the pastel on the paper. Degas isn't trying to hide the process here, he wants you to see the work, the energy, the physicality of making art. Check out the dancer on the right, how the blue of her tutu melts into the background. It’s this sense of constant shifting and dissolving that makes his work so exciting and fresh, almost like a Gerhard Richter painting. Degas reminds us that art isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about the questions we ask and the ways we see.