Edgar Degas is associated with which subjects in his pastel works?

• A. Pastel portraits of the human figure in stop-action poses such as ballerinas and cafe society
• B. Religious icons
• C. Landscape seascapes
• D. Abstract geometric forms

Answer: (A)

Degas’s pastel works focus on the human figure in motion, especially dancers, and scenes from Parisian life. The best description is that he created pastel portraits of the human figure in stop-action poses such as ballerinas and cafe society. He used pastel to capture fleeting, momentary poses with soft, luminous color and quick, sketch-like marks, often choosing cropped compositions and unexpected angles to emphasize movement. This makes his subject matter clearly about people in dynamic, contemporary life, rather than religious icons, landscapes or seascapes, or abstract geometric forms.