Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917) 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.
We make each of our prints one at a time—just for you.
Our Giclée Prints are printed here in Switzerland, one at a time, on heavy matte German art paper using the finest 12-color Canon archival inks. Some images are panoramic or tall and narrow—please select the 18" x 36" format for these.
Our Premium Museum Frame in Black is custom-made in Lugano, Switzerland, using natural wood moulding in a matte black satin finish. Each includes thick, hand-cut white mat boards and Plexiglass glazing. We tailor and print each image to fit its specific ratio and dimensions within our custom-made frames. The hand-cut mats are extra thick. Each bespoke museum frame ships in a custom box. Rush shipping is available for projects with tight deadlines—this is our specialty, and you will not be disappointed.
Our Antiqued Museum Frame in Gold is a high-quality frame made of solid wood, featuring traditional 19th-century cast plaster moulded details and closed corners. These frames are works of art in themselves, each with a unique patina. The hand-rubbed corners and gold finish evoke the elegance of times past. Your selected image is printed on German art paper with archival inks and mounted to quality art board within the frame. Plexiglass is added for print protection and the back is covered with Kraft paper and a hanger is supplied ready to hang..
Our Stretched Canvas prints are hand-stretched over 1.25" thick pine bars and printed with archival inks on a cotton-poly matte finish canvas. These are best-in-industry Swiss-quality canvases, hand-coated for UV protection.
Wall Murals are printed on a matte-finish, self-adhesive poly/fabric material that mounts easily and is ideal for smooth wall surfaces.
Our Note Cards are amazing—each is printed individually on 100% cotton art paper, comes with a kraft envelope, and is individually sleeved. (Image is scaled to fit the format.)
All of our images are digitized from the original negative or print and printed by our master printer to museum standards.
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Artwork in this collection is from The J. Paul Getty Museum. Reproduction rights are reserved by the copyright owner and used under license by Archivea GmbH.
