Woman at Her Toilette

Edgar Degas French, 1834-1917 →

Impressionismpasteldrawings (visual works)

Date

1900/05

Medium

Pastel on tracing paper

Dimensions

75 × 72.5 cm (29 9/16 × 28 9/16 in.)

Museum

Art Institute of Chicago

Location

Chicago, IL

Credit

Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection

Edgar Degas captured an intimate moment: a woman drying herself after a bath. At right, a curtain conceals the woman’s lower body as she bends forward. Degas’s loose handling of pastel and use of warm hues of yellow, orange, and red throughout the drawing visually connect the woman’s body with her surroundings, though specific details like the woman’s face and emotions are obscured from view.

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