Woman seated on the edge of a bath sponging her neck 1895

Curator: Here we have Degas' "Woman seated on the edge of a bath sponging her neck" from 1895, a pastel chalk drawing that really catches the eye. What are your first impressions? Editor: Well, there’s an undeniable intimacy to it, isn't there? Almost voyeuristic. The soft pastels create this hazy, dreamlike quality, but the pose is so...unflattering, maybe even awkward. What do you make of Degas' choices in depicting the female form like this? Curator: Ah, yes, the “awkward” grace of being human, right? Degas wasn't after classical beauty, that’s for sure. He wanted to capture the fleeting, unposed moments of life. The woman is caught unaware, lost in her ritual, in the sheer physical act of washing. The turquoise backdrop pushes the figure forward. Do you think that he idealized the human experience? Or told the truth? Editor: I guess it's his version of truth. I see the way he used the pastel strokes – almost like he’s sketching with color. How does this technique enhance the feeling? Curator: The pastel is EVERYTHING! It allows him to be spontaneous, to layer and blend colors in a way that feels both deliberate and accidental. This is also like watercolor painting with the way he added the turpentine wash! Also, this adds to that feeling of intimacy, doesn’t it? Like we're peering into a private, ephemeral moment that might vanish as quickly as it appeared. He’s a sneaky peek kind of artist...right? Editor: Absolutely. There's a sense of voyeurism to this, which makes me uncomfortable but also very interested. It’s that tension that makes the art stand out to me, for sure. I am drawn to this intimacy. Curator: Precisely! The discomfort is part of the point. It challenges our expectations of how women are typically portrayed in art. Also the piece offers the same subject as men - that of labor, be it intellectual or physical! Editor: That makes so much sense now. Thanks for helping me see it from a new angle! Curator: My pleasure. Art should ignite our curiosity, shouldn't it? And that's all that matters to me.