Edgar Degas (1834-1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for paintings, drawings, and sculptures of dancers. His 1878 painting The Star uses pastels over a monotype print to represent a lone ballerina on stage. She bows on pointe in the lower right corner of the composition and draws in the eye of the viewer, as the stage lighting highlights her white dress and pale skin tone. While she is depicted with detailed strokes, the background and dancers waiting offstage are rendered with roughly sketched swirls of dark color, further reinforcing the viewer’s attention to the main dancer, the star of the show. The painting’s angled viewpoint suggests that the viewer is watching the performance from a box seat. One critic remarked, “after having seen these pastels, you will never have to go to the Opera again.”

Learn more about the artist that inspired this pin HERE.