After the Bath, Woman Drying Herself is an extensive pastel artwork by Edgar Degas. The piece portrays a naked woman drying herself and is part of Degas’s series of pastels and oils depicting female nudes. Degas utilized powdery and vivid pastels to establish the texture and feel of bare skin, emphasizing his focus on intimate scenes in the later decades of his career.
The artwork is currently housed in the National Gallery, London, and features an Egyptian statue and a Chinese wall hanging. Bathing women were a recurring subject for Degas, who produced various works relating to it. Degas initially painted a portrait of Mme. Manet playing the piano, but the artwork was mutilated after its presentation.
Overall, “After the Bath, Woman Drying Herself” features Degas’s recurrent theme of female nudes, while showcasing his mastery of pastels in conveying the texture of bare skin. The presence of the Egyptian statue and the Chinese wall hanging may symbolize the impact of other cultures on Degas’s art.
