Edgar Degas (1834-1917) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker and draftsman associated with the Impressionist movement. Although he is regarded as one of the movement’s founders, he rejected the label and preferred to be thought of as a realist. Unlike Impressionist painters, he was not as interested in the play of light across forms, and did not favor the Impressionist tendency for painting en plein air. However, his subject matter was distinctly Impressionist… The pure hues of pastel, along with its direct application, made it the perfect medium for Impressionists artists who sought to work quickly and capture the essence of their subjects. Degas is considered the artist most responsible for the transformation of pastel into a major medium. When he began working in pastel they were primarily used for portraits, and often as precursors to complete oil paintings. Degas, however, created a large body of finished pastel paintings from which many artists have learned…