At the Milliner's by Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas

Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas's At the Milliner's (1882) shows the Impressionist artist's own approach to spontaneous observation involved a daring spatial organization characterized by cut-off figures, acute lines of vision, and asymmetrical composition. Here, in a pastel of a woman trying on a bonnet in front of a mirror, the mirror frame is set at an oblique angle to the right side of the composition, bisecting the form of the attending saleswoman who holds out another hat.

At the Milliner's by Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas is a pastel on pale gray woven paper, laid down on silk bolting (30 x 34 inches). This work can be seen at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Hats, being such an important part of Parisian life, were an obvious subject for Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas -- even to the point where they were the focus of his composition as is the case with the next Impressionist painting.

For more on Impressionist paintings, artists, and art history, see:

• Impressionism
• Vincent van Gogh
• Claude Monet