“Singer in Green” is an artwork created by the artist Edgar Degas in 1884. The medium used is pastel on paper, and it is a portrait, adhering to the style of Impressionism. The artwork measures 58.4 cm in height and 45.7 cm in width.
The artwork depicts a singer captured mid-performance. She is adorned in a vibrant green dress with accents of orange and yellow that suggests movement and a lively atmosphere. Her body is angled away from the viewer, with her face turned to the side as she looks upwards, perhaps in a moment of emotional delivery. The energy of her singing is implied by her open mouth and the slight tilt of her head. The background is a flurry of impressionistic strokes, enhancing the dynamism of the scene and focusing the attention on the figure with a radiant halo-effect around her.
Degas’s use of pastel allows for a blend of bold and soft color applications, creating a texture that seems both deliberate and spontaneous. There is a juxtaposition of warm and cool tones, with the cool green of her dress standing out against warmer background hues. The singer’s accessories, including bangles and a choker, add to the elaborate detail of her costume, contributing to the sense of character and the portrayal of the performing arts scene during that period. The artwork is a luminescent example of Degas’s interest in capturing scenes of contemporary life with a particular focus on the world of entertainment.
