After the Bath III

After the Bath III, created by Edgar Degas between 1891 and 1892, is a complex lithograph executed using the specific techniques of transfer and crayon. Classified as a print, this piece captures the essential characteristics of Degas’s late graphic output, where he increasingly relied on the textural nuances and density achieved through experimental printmaking rather than traditional painting. This particular impression represents the rare first state of two, showcasing the artist’s preliminary composition before subsequent changes were made to the matrix.

The subject matter belongs to a significant series of works in which Degas explored the intimate lives of female nudes. Unlike traditional academic representations of the nude, Degas’s figures are depicted without idealization, often shown bathing, drying, or grooming in candid, private moments. The artist uses the soft, granular qualities inherent in crayon lithography to render volume and shadow, giving the figure a sense of weight and immediacy. This emphasis on observational realism and privacy was characteristic of Degas's work during the 1890s, where he sought to capture the modern human form in movement.

This important graphic work currently resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, serving as a key example of Degas’s mastery of the print medium. Although the original print is held in the museum, the high quality and popularity of Degas’s final period pieces, particularly those documenting everyday life, ensure that reproductions of his enduring prints are widely available through various public domain collections globally.