From Art Institute of Chicago:
This work shows how Degas adapted his monotype prints. First, on the printing plate, he manipulated diluted oil paint with cloth pads and coarse bristle brushes. Having transferred these textural effects to the paper, he added pastel over the monotype, lending definition to the leaves and branches of the trees.
In November 1892, Degas’s monotype landscapes were the subject of an exhibition at the gallery of Paul Durand-Ruel. One critic heralded it as the “event of the season.” The show included between 24 and 26 images of this kind; the art dealer purchased them all, at the considerable price of 1000 francs each.
— Exhibition label, The Thrill of the Chase: Drawings from the Harry B. and Bessie K. Braude Memorial Collection, March 15–June 15, 2013, Galleries 124–127.