Woman Leaving Her Bath 1877

Edgar Degas created this intimate pastel drawing, titled *Woman Leaving Her Bath*, during the late 19th century in France. The Impressionist movement, during which it was produced, sought to capture fleeting moments of everyday life, and here Degas presents a scene of private domesticity. Rather than presenting the female nude as an idealized, eroticized figure, common at the time, Degas shows a woman drying herself after a bath, assisted by her maid. Degas seems less interested in the individual identities of these women, and more invested in capturing the naturalistic, unposed scene. He frames the women in an unconventional, almost voyeuristic way, which invites us to consider the complex power dynamics at play. The use of pastel allows for a softness of color, emphasizing the intimacy and vulnerability of the scene, even as it reflects broader societal themes related to class and the representation of women.