Formal Analysis Document Claude Oscar Monet (1840-1926) was a French painter known for his use of bold colors and unusual subject matter. In the 1860s, Monet joined like-minded artists such as Edgar Degas; to create the movement that became known as Impressionism. Edgar Degas (1834-1917) was also French but born to a wealthy family. He benefited from traditional training and did not feel comfortable with the label "impressionist" because of this training. This article intends to analyze "The Promenade, Woman with a Parasol" by Claude Monet (fig. 1), and "The Little Dancer of Fourteen" by Edgar Degas (fig. 2), through a consideration of the composition, the use of color, perspective and brushstrokes. Capturing the natural play of light and shadow was a distinctive theme throughout Monet's work. In this painting, place the light to the right of the woman and boy which guides the viewer's gaze upward. He then uses the shadows on the parasol, the woman's face, and the ground to lead the viewer's eye across the painting. The deliberate placement of light and shadow is an effective tool that he uses with a lighter touch in the boys' clothing, clouds and particularly the grass. This piece shows Monet's use of color, which was another of his signature themes. He uses cool colors to give the painting a calm feel and to emphasize his subjects, the woman and the boy. It stays with the cool color palette with the use of blue; the sky, the woman's clothes, the grass and the boy's clothes. He then incorporates warm colors into the work with the use of white in the clouds, the models' clothes, the umbrella and even the grass. Monet used yellow and white highlights as focal points as well as natural highlights...to the center of the paper...to the fabric. While the corset appears to be loosely tailored, the tutu appears to fit but lies limp against the figure's legs. Despite the use of mixed media, the ballerinas' tights are actually sculpted, not fabric. Ballet slippers are real shoes covered in wax; the same wax covers the entire sculpture, preserving it and the fragile elements. In Monet's painting, "The Promenade, Woman with a Parasol," the viewer is taken through a journey of expressive brushstrokes, color and playfulness of light and shadow. He successfully uses his impressionistic brushwork to capture the viewer's attention and maintain their interest with his balance of warm light and cool shaded colors. Degas uses his knowledge and study of the human figure to capture the viewer's attention; he then continues with his unconventional use of bronze and mixed materials to maintain their interest.