Arcadópolis
The Billiard Room at Ménil-Hubert
Edgar Degas, 1892
What you see
A billiard table sits at an angle in the middle of an empty room. On it rest three balls, two white and one red. The ochre walls are covered with framed paintings, large and small, and a bench runs along the wall. On the left, an open door reveals another room, and the eye slips through it.
A range of ochres, golds and muted greens prevails, with the pink rug and its reddish border as contrast. The paint is thin and quick, with outlines drawn with the brush. Look for the small red ball on the green cloth, and the ceiling moldings in the upper corner.
About Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas is famous for his ballet dancers, whom he painted in classes, rehearsals and backstage more than a thousand times. He liked to capture movements of a single instant, as if they were photographs. Besides oil paint, he often used pastels, sticks of colour that give a soft, velvety look.
More by Edgar Degas
The Arcadópolis Museum has 443 public-domain works in 40 rooms, free to explore in 3D in your browser.