Nude Seen from Behind

Nude Seen from Behind is a significant drypoint created in 1889 by Berthe Morisot (French, 1841-1895), with the printing process executed by Ernest Rouart (French, 1874-1942). This delicate print, rendered on cream laid paper, exemplifies Morisot’s masterful engagement with graphic arts late in her career. The drypoint technique, which requires scratching directly into a copper plate with a sharp needle, results in burr surrounding the line, yielding the soft, velvety quality evident throughout the composition. This effect successfully translates the subtle tonalities and fluid visual characteristics of her oil paintings into the medium of prints.

Morisot, a pioneering figure of the French Impressionist movement, often focused on intimate, domestic subjects, turning her attention to the private lives of women. The depiction of the nude figure seen exclusively from the back, without a direct facial view, avoids the formal, historical weight of traditional academic nudes. Instead, the piece suggests a private, perhaps fleeting, moment of observation, capturing the luminosity and subtle contours of the figure with Morisot's characteristic lightness of touch.

Though the image was drawn by Morisot, the role of Ernest Rouart, her nephew and subsequent son-in-law, highlights the collaborative nature of printmaking at the time. Rouart was instrumental in ensuring the survival and reproduction of many of Morisot’s etched plates following her death. As an important example of 19th-century graphic work from France, this impression belongs to a highly regarded collection of prints by the artist. This particular drypoint is held within the esteemed permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, and due to its historical status, the image is often referenced among public domain prints.