After the Bath III

After the Bath III by Edgar Degas, executed between 1891 and 1892, is a significant example of the artist’s late-career engagement with graphic media. This powerful lithograph showcases Degas’s experimental approach to printmaking, utilizing the medium’s textural qualities and unique ability to create tonal variation to capture intimate scenes of women engaged in their toilette. The technique, distinct from his pastels and oils, allows for soft gradations and blurred contours, emphasizing mood and atmosphere over strict anatomical detail.

Originating in France during the fin-de-siècle, the work continues Degas’s enduring fascination with depicting the unposed, private moments of the female form. Unlike traditional historical nudes, which often relied on classical or staged poses, Degas presented his subjects caught unaware, focusing on the genuine, dynamic physicality of bathing, drying, or performing mundane tasks. This focus on natural, everyday actions defined the artist’s unique contribution to modern art. The composition demonstrates his commitment to exploring modern life through unconventional perspectives, often cropping figures tightly to increase the sense of immediacy.

As one of the major graphic works created by the artist, this piece highlights the transition from 19th-century realism toward more expressive modernist approaches evident in his mature style. The original impression of this acclaimed lithograph is held in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Because of its cultural significance, prints derived from the original often enter the realm of public domain resources, ensuring that these iconic studies of everyday French life remain accessible to scholars and admirers worldwide.