Prompt:
A masterpiece of pastel graphics. A symbolic portrait of transition. As realistic as possible in its rendering of texture and form. Executed in the style of Edgar Degas, utilizing soft pastel on textured paper to capture a candid, almost voyeuristic moment of profound change. The scene depicts Silvester (the Old Year) and Baby Atlas (the New Year). Silvester is portrayed as a fading figure, his form not solid but constructed from the ephemera of the passing year. His features and hair are suggested by intricately drawn, decaying lace, withered holly, and the faint, ghostly patterns of spent fireworks. This delicate, surreal morbidity is rendered with Degas's unparalleled skill in depicting fabric and shadow, using a palette of ashes, dusty greys, and faded gold. He dissolves into the background, his edges soft and lost. Baby Atlas emerges from this haze, a potent contrast. His tiny, robust form is rendered with bold, sculptural strokes of pastel, his skin glowing with the vibrant, hopeful hues of new life peach, cream, and a faint, luminous blue. He is the source of light in the composition, his solid, rounded limbs pushing against the gloom, modeled with a realistic weight and presence. The fragmented background is in various shades of blue, from a deep, midnight expanse behind Silvester to shards of dawn sky and clear celestial blue around Baby Atlas. These fragments are blurred and blended in the pastel medium, creating a cosmic, atmospheric depth that emphasizes the transition from dissolution to solid, luminous potential. Modifiers: portrait masterpiece, Edgar Degas, pastel graphics, symbolic transition, realistic texture, dissolving form, luminous contrast, cosmic background.