Edgar Degas (1834-1917) is a familiar French Impressionist. He followed his fascination with movement to paint dancers, scenes at racetracks and this scene of a hat maker.

In The Millinery Shop, Degas pulls a simple, common scene of his day to the level of masterpiece with his perspective, color, and varied technique. Over a hundred years later, as we look at this composition crowded with shapes, we can notice that the artist’s view or perspective is to the side and above with the person not central but in profile and partially hidden by a hat. Degas did not straighten this overlap but painted what he saw. He takes us with him to her moment of concentration and other focus and even though not central in location he makes her somewhat central with a less impressionistic technique on her face and dress. We see many details of this person surrounded by the impressionistic, less detailed, quickly painted and somewhat mottled background of everything else! His palette of elegant secondary and tertiary colors, colors combined from others, speaks throughout this painting of his standard of vision and creativity. 

May we feast our eyes on this piece dedicated with every brush stroke to noticing the world around us. May we spend time noticing in these days and may we realize that our attention is itself a prayer of gratitude for beauty, abundance, and blessing. Thanks be to the God of all that is and was and will be. Amen.

In gratitude, faith and hope,

Sandy Prouty
Minister of Children and Families
Montview Church