Nude Woman Standing, Drying Herself
Original title: Nude Woman Standing, Drying Herself
kurzbeschreibung
Edgar Degas made this lithograph in 1891–92. It shows a standing woman drying her back with raised arms. The print is based on a monotype and was worked over with crayon, tusche, and scraping. This impression is the fifth of six states.
Description
A woman arches backward, both arms lifted above her head, her long hair falling behind. On the ground in front lies a second figure, also leaning back. Abstract horizontal strokes and shading run across the background, creating a textured surface. Gray tones dominate the monochrome image, and diffuse light models contours and shadows. The arrangement is asymmetrical, with the standing woman clearly dominant.
Context
Around 1891–92 Degas turned increasingly to the female nude in intimate everyday moments. A monotype served as the source — a process typical of the artist, in which he combined printmaking techniques experimentally. The motif of drying oneself appears in a series of works he repeated in various media. The existence of the fifth of six states attests to the careful reworking of the print.
Impact
The unusual pose, together with the reduced color, feels immediate and inward-turning. The juxtaposition of standing and reclining figures creates a spatial tension that draws the eye to the central figure. Scratches in the background give the sheet a raw, sketch-like quality.
Technique
The basis is a lithograph transferred from a monotype, using crayon, tusche, and scraping. Through this transfer Degas could bring the spontaneous effects of the monotype into an edition. The fifth state shows clear traces of manual work — scratches and hatching that enliven the surface.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)