Portrait after a Costume Ball (Portrait of Madame Dietz-Monnin)

Portrait after a Costume Ball (Portrait of Madame Dietz-Monnin), created by Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917) in 1879, is an unconventional and psychologically penetrating study that transcends traditional portraiture. The work captures its sitter, Madame Dietz-Monnin, following a masked event, evoking an atmosphere of intimate reflection and post-celebratory exhaustion rather than public display. Degas employed a complex, mixed-media approach for this canvas, combining distemper, pastel, and notably, metallic paint. This highly experimental blend allowed for unique textural effects and luminosity, distancing the piece from the academic oil paintings popular in France during the late 19th century.

Although associated with the flourishing Impressionism period (c. 1860–1890s), Degas frequently focused on depicting the human figure and the subtle psychology of modern Parisian life, often choosing interior settings over the en plein air scenes favored by his contemporaries. In this work, Degas moves past the fleeting visual moment, creating a portrait defined by a powerful, contemplative mood. The composition emphasizes the solitude of the sitter, contrasting the required public gaiety of the ball with the quiet isolation that follows. This attention to narrative and interior state reflects Degas’s dedication to capturing the emotional truth underlying societal roles, a key feature of his output during this transitional artistic moment.

The artist’s specific choice of materials highlights his technical innovation. The application of pastel provides soft, feathered transitions, while the strategic incorporation of metallic paint imparts a subtle, shimmering quality to the deep shadows, enhancing the mystery surrounding the figure in the dim lighting. This distinctive technique gives the artwork, sometimes referred to simply as Portrait after a Costume Ball, a visual complexity distinct from his well-known studies of dancers and racehorses. This significant example of Degas's innovative Impressionist output is housed in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Today, the accessibility of high-quality prints allows the public worldwide to appreciate the unique materiality of this masterwork.