The artwork titled “Woman Washing Her Feet” is a pastel piece by Edgar Degas, crafted circa 1893. This work is a fine example of the Impressionist movement and falls under the genre of nude painting (nu). Currently, the artwork resides in a private collection.
In the artwork, Edgar Degas showcases a scene captured with the deft, characteristic strokes of the Impressionist style. The subject, a woman, is engaged in the intimate act of washing her feet. The composition reveals only a part of her form, focusing on the curvature of her back and the delicate gesture of her arms reaching towards her feet. The use of pastel has rendered the scene with soft yet dynamic textures and a rich interplay of colors that evoke the light and shadow dynamics typical of Degas’ work. The background is abstracted, with hints of other forms and drapery, but it is the poignant moment of the woman’s everyday routine that commands the viewer’s attention, celebrating both the beauty and the ordinariness of the subject matter.
