Artwork
Woman with a Bandage
Woman with a Bandage is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Edgar Degas. It dates from 1872 and is held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
About this work
Overview
Edgar Degas’s oil painting *Woman with a Bandage* dates from 1872 and is part of the collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The work presents a solitary female figure, rendered in a restrained palette, whose posture and expression convey a moment of quiet introspection.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter wears a white cap and a high collar, her head turned slightly away from the viewer. She holds a cloth to her face, suggesting an injury or discomfort, while the surrounding space remains indistinct, focusing attention on her subdued demeanor.
Technique & Style
Degas employs loose, rapid brushwork, particularly evident in the rendering of the woman’s garments, which appear to flutter with gestural strokes. The facial features are largely concealed in shadow, creating a muted tonal contrast. The background is rendered with softened edges, allowing the figure to emerge from an atmospheric haze.
History & Provenance
Created in the early 1870s, the painting entered the Detroit Institute of Arts’ holdings in the twentieth century, where it has been displayed as part of the museum’s European painting collection. Its acquisition reflects the institution’s interest in Degas’s explorations of everyday subjects and his evolving portraiture.
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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.
