How did Edgar Degas use pastel in his artwork?

Edgar Degas was a pivotal figure in revitalizing the use of pastel in the late 19th century, employing the medium with great technical innovation. Rather than using it solely as a traditional drawing tool, he often combined pastel with other media, such as charcoal, gouache, or monotype, to achieve complex textures and effects.12

His approach to the medium evolved throughout his career:

• Graphic Experimentation: In the late 1870s, Degas experimented with adding layers of pastel to monotypes.1
• Series Compositions: By the early 1880s, he began creating charcoal drawings on tracing paper, which he would retrace multiple times before applying pastel. This allowed him to produce a "family" of related compositions, enabling him to manipulate nuances of gesture and detail.1
• Versatility: His subjects ranged from intimate scenes of women at their toilette to theater performances and landscapes.13

By integrating pastel into his broader artistic process, Degas elevated the medium, using it to explore color, form, and composition with a level of independence that moved beyond simple subject matter.1