The Dancing Examination

Dance Examination by Impressionist artist Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas clearly demonstrates how pastel was a good medium for Degas's portrayal of dancers, as with each sure stroke, he described a gesture - the point of a foot, the arch of a neck–as swiftly as it was made in life. To suggest the weight or insubstantiality of form–from the dancers' sturdy limbs to their flowing skirts - he varied the pressure of his touch.