Artwork
Nude Woman Drying Herself
Nude Woman Drying Herself is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Edgar Degas. It dates from 1893 and is held in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum.
About this work
Overview
Edgar Degas’s oil painting titled *Nude Woman Drying Herself* was completed in 1893. The work is part of the permanent collection of the Brooklyn Museum. It presents a solitary figure in an interior setting, rendered with the subtle tonalities characteristic of Degas’s later period.
Subject & Meaning
The composition shows a woman standing beside a window, using a towel to dry her skin. Her posture, turned slightly away, and the quiet domestic backdrop convey a moment of personal routine, inviting contemplation of privacy and the everyday rituals of self‑care.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on canvas, Degas employs a muted palette and delicate brushwork that soften the edges of the figure and surrounding space. The layering of translucent glazes yields a warm, luminous surface, while the restrained handling of light emphasizes the intimate atmosphere of the scene.
History & Provenance
After its creation in the early 1890s, the painting entered the Brooklyn Museum’s holdings, where it has remained on view. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s commitment to representing Degas’s exploration of the nude beyond the traditional studio setting, situating the work within the broader narrative of late‑19th‑century French art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas on 19 July 1834 in Paris, Edgar Degas came from an affluent banking family with aristocratic roots and spent his childhood among the cultivated circles of the French capital.
