Edgar Degas Mary Cassatt Girl Arranging Her Hair

Edgar Degas Mary Cassatt Girl Arranging Her Hair

Subject of the work: A young girl arranging her hair, depicting a moment of intimacy and daily life.

Drawing technique: The artist used a combination of graphite pencil and pastel to create soft lines and delicate shading.

Story: The painting captures a private moment in which the young girl is focused on herself, absorbed in her task. It conveys a sense of quiet contemplation.

Colors: Soft pastel hues dominate the artwork, with shades of pink, blue, yellow, and white creating an overall gentle palette.

Type of paint used: Degas primarily used oil paints for this piece to achieve rich texture and depth.

The artwork meaning lies in its portrayal of everyday moments that often go unnoticed but hold immense beauty. By focusing on mundane activities like grooming oneself, Degas elevates these ordinary actions into subjects worthy of artistic representation. This painting also highlights his interest in capturing intimate scenes involving women at various stages in their lives.

Style

Note: Edgar Degas was associated with Impressionism during his career. Degas was known for his unique approach within the Impressionist movement. While he shared some techniques typical to Impressionists such as loose brushwork and capturing natural light effects outdoors when sketching en plein air (in open air), he diverged from other artists by choosing indoor subjects more frequently. He had a strong fascination with human figures engaging in everyday activities; particularly ballet dancers rehearsing or caught mid-performance onstage. This focus on movement led him towards experimentation with composition techniques such as unusual angles or cropped framing. His compositions often appeared dynamic yet casual simultaneously. Dedicated mostly to portraiture combined seamlessly with genre scenes, his style showcased a blend of realism and spontaneity. Degas' use of pastel in many works displayed his mastery over the medium while adding a softness to the overall aesthetics. Overall, Edgar Degas is best known for combining Impressionist techniques with elements distinctive to him, creating artworks that explored new artistic possibilities within the movement.