Vrouw stapt uit bad en krijgt handdoek aangereikt van vrouw 1879 - 1880

Editor: Here we have "Woman Stepping out of the Bath Being Offered a Towel by a Woman" created between 1879 and 1880 by Edgar Degas. It's an etching, so a print. I’m immediately struck by how intimate and voyeuristic the scene feels, even a bit gritty with those dark, etched lines. What grabs you when you look at it? Curator: Ah, yes! Gritty intimacy is spot on! I feel that "slice of life" perspective Degas was so good at. He wasn’t trying to pretty things up, was he? He's showing us a private moment, like a fleeting, captured memory. Notice how he positions us – are we peeking through a doorway, or simply invited in? Also, how does the unusual angle impact how you view it? Editor: I think the angle adds to the feeling of intruding on a private moment. It’s not a perfectly composed portrait. What do you mean by "not prettying things up"? Curator: Well, compared to say, a classical nude, which would idealize the human form, Degas presents something real, immediate. He embraces the everyday – a woman’s routine, rather than some grand allegorical subject. You feel the humidity in the air, almost hear the splash of the water, you know? I suppose it's about art reflecting everyday lived existence and making no excuses! What feelings does that perspective invoke in you? Editor: I get it! It makes the artwork relatable, like you are not separated from reality. It’s fascinating to consider his viewpoint, deciding to capture this sort of mundanity and also, what that even means, 'mundanity'. I guess I'm re-evaluating my sense of how "real" life gets portrayed and perceived. Curator: Yes! Absolutely. The "mundane" when thoughtfully observed can be transcendent. These moments, rendered honestly, can truly illuminate how we live and experience the world.