“Lake and Mountains” is an artwork by Edgar Degas, created between circa 1890 and 1893. Degas employed pastel as the medium for this piece, contributing to the Impressionist movement of which he was a prominent figure. As its genre suggests, the piece is a landscape and remains held in a private collection. This work isn’t as well-known as Degas’ ballet dancers or racing scenes, but it showcases his mastery of landscape compositions and his use of vibrant color.
The artwork captures a tranquil scene of nature, where the central focus is a serene body of water, presumably a lake, flanked by rolling hills or mountains. The pastel medium is used to great effect, creating soft textures and a luminous quality that seem to make the scenery glow with an internal light. Degas’ command of color is evident, with warm golds, cool blues, and fiery reds intermixing to create a scene that feels both of the moment and timeless. A sense of calmness emanates from the composition, guiding the viewer’s eye across the placid lake to the rugged yet softly depicted landscape, sketched with a delicate touch that characterizes the Impressionist approach to capturing the fleeting effects of light.
