Art Institute of Chicago

The Morning Bath

Edgar Degas

Date

1887/90

Medium

Pastel on off-white laid paper mounted on board

Culture

France

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Later in his career Edgar Degas began using pastel more frequently and created some two hundred pastel drawings of bathers, including this example, which shows a woman stepping into a tub. The soft and crumbly consistency of this medium allowed him to both blend colors and apply more assertive marks that remain distinct. Here, the combination of these effects is evident in his handling of the various fabrics throughout. The woman is shown mid-step, her left leg already inside the tub and her right arm clutching the curtain to maintain her balance. Disheveled bedsheets and rumpled pillow sit between the viewer and the woman, adding a voyeuristic feel to this view of a private morning ritual.

The authoritative record is held by Art Institute of Chicago. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.