Which painting did Degas create?

• A. Sunflowers
• B. Mont Sainte-Victoire
• C. The Elevation of the Cross
• D. The Dance Class

Answer: (D)

Recognizing Degas’ signature subject matter helps you identify his work. He often painted scenes of dancers and backstage moments, capturing movement, gesture, and the quiet study of practice in a studio rather than heroic or mythic subjects. The painting in question shows ballet students in a rehearsal space, with the instructor and dancers arranged in a candid, observational moment that emphasizes daily life and motion—traits strongly associated with Degas’ approach.

The other titles belong to artists with different styles and themes: Sunflowers is a famous series by Vincent van Gogh, known for expressive brushwork and bright color; Mont Sainte-Victoire is a landscape explored by Paul Cézanne, focusing on form and perspective in nature; The Elevation of the Cross is a dramatic Baroque religious scene by Peter Paul Rubens. These distinctions in subject and style help explain why the dance-class scene is the work by Degas.