In a densely patterned, dizzily colorful interior, Degas’s nude turns her back to us and bends to dry her side. Her pose, at once graceful and tortuous, lends this scene a frisson, encouraging us to believe we have surprised this woman in a private moment. Unseen windows bathe her back in light, conjured with electric streaks and scribbles of color, while her face, lost in shadow, seems to gaze into the opalescent depths of the tub beside her. Like the other items of furniture depicted, this tub at once corroborates and undermines the fiction of a moment surprised, intersecting abruptly with a folding screen and disappearing from view. Along with the expanse of tufted carpet, the overstuffed canapé, and the cascade of drapery at left, these objects form a dreamy indoor landscape—less the ordinary terrain of a domestic interior than an intimate corner of Degas’s studio.
Dated to 1882-1885 by Paul-André Lemoisne in volumne II of his 1946-1948 catalogue raisonné of Degas’s work, this pastel was likely made at a somewhat later moment, 1886 or after, when, having achieved financial independence, Degas had all but ceased to exhibit, retreating into the private world of his studio to produce increasingly bold, experimental work: wax and wire sculptures, oil paintings covered with fingerprints, pastels scratched out in vibrating, anti-naturalistic colors. The influence of a much younger artist, Paul Gauguin, was key to Degas’s evolution in this period: we may see his mark in the dazzling, dissonant hues of this pastel, which already predicts the thickets of pattern and color found in the work of Gauguin’s followers, the Nabis Bonnard and Vuillard, at the turn of the century.
Like so many ambitious nudes of Degas’s later career, this work was never exhibited during his lifetime. He made numerous drawings and prints depicting models in essentially the same pose. Although, by the later 1880s, the artist’s ceaseless explorations of a single form or attitude could no longer be neatly sorted into the categories of “preparatory studies” and “finished works,” this particular series seems to have culminated in the present pastel; no other portrayal of this subject matches its density of touch and chromatic power.
- Title: Après le bain (Femme s'essuyant)
- Creator: Edgar Degas
- Date Created: about 1896
- Location Created: France
- Physical Dimensions: 72 × 58 cm (28 3/8 × 22 13/16 in.)
- Type: Drawing
- Medium: Pastel on paper laid down on board
- Terms of Use: Open Content
- Number: 2017.75.1
- Culture: French
- Credit Line: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
- Creator Display Name: Edgar Degas (French, 1834 - 1917)
- Classification: Drawings (Visual Works)
DecorArts is a professional wall art company located in California.
Each of our prints is proudly designed and constructed in the USA, right in our workshop. We are dedicated to delivering the finest quality, craftsmanship, and customer service with each and every order. With giclée printing technology, we are able to provide the best possible quality for the reproduction of fine art masterpieces as well as your personal photos. Our prints capture the subtlest of colors and contrasts, while retaining superb image sharpness.
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Giclée Quality Guarantee:
Giclée printing is meant to produce a product at a higher quality and longer lifespan than a standard desktop inkjet printer. The word was used to describe digital reproductions of conventional artworks (painting or drawing) or photographs.
There are at least three basic criteria which must be met in order for the print to be considered a true giclée...
- For giclée printing, the paper or substrate used to actually print the final piece must be acid free and consist of a 100% cotton base.
- Any image that is to be printed as a giclée needs to be created at a resolution of no less than 300 dots per inch (DPI). This is to ensure that the final print has the sharpest detail and lacks any of the fragmentation that can occur with images less than 300 DPI.
- The last step to creating or confirming a true giclée print is the type of ink and printer used. The biggest contrast between a standard inkjet print and a giclée print is that giclées are printed using pigment-based inks rather than the dye-based inks found in lower cost inkjets. Pigment-based inks have a longer life span that can last anywhere from 100 to 200 years without significant fading.
The Quality :
The quality of the giclée print rivals traditional silver halide and gelatin printing processes and is commonly found in museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries.
With Giclée printing technology, we are able to provide the best possible quality for the reproduction of fine art masterpieces as well as your personal photos. Our prints capture the subtlest of colors and contrasts, while retaining superb image sharpness.
- We use real wood (non-MDF) for our canvas stretcher bars
- The canvas depth of of each dimension will be 1.5" thick
All of our canvas prints are gallery wrapped. Your image will be visible in full on the front side of the canvas while the outer edges are either artistically extended or mirrored to wrap over the wood stretcher bars on all sides. Our canvases are hand-stretched over solid wood stretcher bars.
Our canvas art works arrive ready to hang right out the box! We will affix a sturdy sawtooth hanger to the back of your canvas and include in your package: two screws, two nails, a pair of gloves, and a gradienter (small water level to ensure art is hung straight).
Framed:
Our framed arts are specially designed for both classic art and personalized artwork. Choose from a variety of frames for the perfect one to suit the style of your home.
- Mounted on back flannel so as not to scuff your walls
- Artwork arrives READY TO HANG. Hanging accessories come complimentary
Our frames are specifically chosen to complement each artwork. However, we will gladly accommodate if you'd prefer a different frame. Contact us at customerservice@decorarts.com for inquiries.
