Woman Drying Her Left Arm, After Bath by Degas

Immersing the spectator in the confidential and dim atmosphere of a bedroom, this highly subtle work by Degas Edgar, associated with the Impressionist movement, stands under the title of “Woman Drying Her Left Arm, After Bath” within his nudes. The artist explores here the mechanical and instinctive gestures of grooming, decomposing the movement with astonishing rigor. This composition bears witness to his desire to capture the fleeting moment of physical fatigue after effort.

The naked woman is depicted seated in profile and three-quarters from behind on a bed draped in white, her body bent deeply towards the left of the composition. She strives with great focus and concentration to dry her left arm with her right hand using a soft white towel hanging vertically on the far left side of the painting. To her right, two large rectangular brick-orange pillows structure the background of the room. The wall behind displays muted, beautifully blended blue-grey tones, while a carpet with blue and red floral patterns is visible on the floor on the left.

This work celebrates the artist’s craftsmanship in the treatment of color and material. The painter deploys dense and overlapping pastel hatching to give consistency to the muscles and vibration to the fabrics with remarkable, spectacular and powerful technical virtuosity and power.