The artwork entitled “After the Bath” is a creation of the noted Impressionist artist Edgar Degas, dated approximately between 1895 and 1898. Degas rendered this work using pastel, which was one of his preferred mediums, especially in his later career. This piece is categorized under the genre of nude painting (nu). It is a testament to the Impressionist movement, which Degas helped to pioneer. The artwork currently resides in the Philips Collection, located in Washington, DC, United States.
The artwork captures the intimate moment of a woman attending to her own body after bathing. The subject is depicted with her back turned towards the viewer, embodying a sense of candid vulnerability and unguarded grace. Degas’s use of pastels allows for a rich interplay of colors, contributing to the soft yet dynamic texture that characterizes the work. The artist’s emphasis on naturalistic movement and the human form, along with his distinctive brushstrokes, imbue the scene with a palpable sense of atmosphere and tactile presence. The delicate balance of light and shadow, combined with the organic blending of hues, exemplifies the artist’s mastery in capturing the subtleties of the human figure and the evanescence of a fleeting moment.
