The Laundress Ironing by Degas

Revealing the harsh reality of the daily work of the Parisian working classes, this striking work by Degas Edgar is part of his naturalistic vein under the title of “The Laundress Ironing”. The realist painter moves away from worldly entertainment to explore the laborious intimacy of laundresses at the end of the nineteenth century. This uncompromising portrait bears witness to his deep empathy for these workers, captured in their raw truth.

The composition focuses on an ironer depicted standing in the center, her body heavily leaning forward. She wears a bright orange short-sleeved blouse and a dark blue-gray apron, her brown hair tied in a tight bun. With her two vigorous and stretched arms, she leans with all her weight on a worn black iron which she carefully guides on a large ironing table covered with a bright white sheet. A long dark ribbon is placed on the right of the table. The background of the modest room is a neutral beige and ocre wall, creating a simple atmosphere.

The vigorous execution of this canvas reveals the artist’s exceptional craftsmanship in rendering the material. Edgar Degas uses impasto and thick touches to translate the heaviness of the linen and the harshness of the environment. His synthetic drawing focuses with strength on the essence of the laborious gesture.