After the Bath III

After the Bath III is a powerful print created by Edgar Degas between 1891 and 1892, representing a key late-career exploration of the printed medium. The work is classified technically as a lithograph, meticulously executed using a transfer process combined with crayon, resulting in rich, deeply textured lines. It represents the definitive second state of the composition. Degas, famous for his oils and pastels, dedicated considerable energy to mastering printmaking, viewing techniques like lithography as integral to his study of form and movement.

The subject matter aligns with the artist’s characteristic fascination with the toilette—the intimate, unposed moments of a woman bathing or drying herself. This focus on female nudes engaged in private routine deliberately rejects the idealized or mythological settings typical of 19th-century academic art. Instead of acknowledging the viewer, the figure in the work is wholly absorbed in her action, captured by Degas with an objective, observational eye.

The energetic cross-hatching and deep blacks achieved through the crayon medium demonstrate Degas’s continued mastery of drawing, creating volume and atmosphere even within the stark constraints of black-and-white prints. This important impression is part of the distinguished collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. As an influential example of 19th-century French prints, this work is generally considered to be in the public domain today, allowing wide accessibility for study and appreciation.