Artwork
Catherine prépare le tub et Louise nue se coiffe (Catherine Prepares the Bath and Louise, Nude, Fixes her Hair)
Catherine prépare le tub et Louise nue se coiffe (Catherine Prepares the Bath and Louise, Nude, Fixes her Hair) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Suzanne Valadon. It dates from 1895 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1895, this print by Suzanne Valadon portrays a modest interior where two women are engaged in everyday activities. One figure, seen from behind, lifts her arms as if arranging her hair, while the other sits on a chair, her legs folded and gaze directed downward. The composition is rendered in a single tonal range, emphasizing the intimacy of the scene.
Subject & Meaning
The work continues Valadon’s interest in depicting female bodies within domestic contexts, focusing on ordinary moments rather than idealized mythological subjects. By presenting the women in a private, unglamorous setting, the image suggests a candid observation of daily life and the quiet routines that define women's experiences in the late nineteenth‑century household.
Technique & Style
Valadon employed a combination of soft‑ground etching and drypoint on buff‑laid paper, allowing for both delicate, velvety lines and the deeper, scratched marks characteristic of drypoint. The resulting texture conveys a sense of immediacy, with rough, dark strokes that model form and create subtle shading across the figures and surrounding space.
History & Provenance
This impression is a proof rather than a finished edition, indicating it was likely produced as a trial before the artist finalized the print. Valadon, who entered the Société Nationale des Beaux‑Arts in 1894 as its first female member, was actively exploring printmaking during this period, expanding her practice beyond painting.
Artist & collection
Artist
Marie-Clémentine "Suzanne" Valadon (French pronunciation: ; 23 September 1865 – 7 April 1938) was a French painter who was born at Bessines-sur-Gartempe, Haute-Vienne, France.
The Dead Man (Der tote Mann)
Woman and Child (Weib und Kind)
Girl, with Another Rubbing Her Belly
Large Resurrection (Grosse Auferstehung)
Femme nue, assise sur son lit, de face (Nude Woman, Seated on Her Bed, Front View)
Büsser
Kauernder weiblicher akt (Crouching Female Nude)
Nude Holding Her Leg (Femme nue se tenant la jambe)