Critique: Edgar Degas

Line and Shape
In this drawing, all the shapes are organic. It is a very natural scene, with no manmade structures to be seen anywhere. It is a tranquil moment in time, rather voyeuristic, in fact, since the subject seems so relaxed and not posing. The strokes seem to be mostly vertical, as well as the flow of the composition itself.

Texture
The strokes appear to be rough, partly due to the medium itself. The emphasis is more on artistic properties rather than photographic as in renaissance art. The texture of the tree trunk in the background definitely seems rough and bark-like, and the skin of the girl seems soft.

Value
The left source is coming from the front left. The girl’s back and left buttock are in highlight, and her head and the clothes on the ground are in shadow.

Color
Local color is used in this drawing. The colors are mainly pastels; pink and peach, white and yellow. The greens and blues give the drawing a cool feel.

Space
Overlapping in this drawing mainly produces the illusion of depth. The background does not provide the infinite space present in most renaissance paintings, and there are no parallel, straight objects to produce linear perspective.

Harmony
The strokes of the pastels give a sense of flow and unity within the drawing. The colors also produce harmony.

Variety
There are stiff objects such as the trees and soft objects like the girl and the clothes to create contrast and variety. The dark blue cloth on the ground also provides contrast against the skin tone and the white.

Balance
This drawing is asymmetrical since none of the sides are the same. The girl is standing on the left side, with nothing similar on the right to balance it off.

Dominance and center of interest
The girl is obviously the focus of the drawing. She takes up the majority of the canvas, and she is also the brightest object in the drawing.