1880
pastel
paperboard
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
The Curtain is a 1880 pastel by Edgar Degas, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This painting shows a city street with a few people walking away from you. The colors are loose and bright—greens, blues, and reds pop against a busy background. A horse and rider are on the left, while a man in a dark coat and hat walks toward a row of colorful flags or banners. The brushwork is quick and messy, like the artist sketched fast to catch the moment. The scene feels alive but not perfectly smooth, which was a big deal back then. If you like this style, check out pastel to see how artists used soft, chalky colors like this.
Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas on 19 July 1834 in Paris, Edgar Degas came from an affluent banking family with aristocratic roots and spent his childhood among the cultivated circles of the French capital.
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