The Bathers

The Bathers is an evocative drawing by Edgar Degas French, 1834-1917, created during the mature period of his career, spanning 1885-1895. Executed in pastel and charcoal on tan wove paper, this classification highlights Degas’s sustained engagement with drawing as both a preliminary step and a finalized artistic form. The chosen medium allowed the artist to explore line and mass simultaneously, expertly blending the precision of charcoal contours with the luminous, layered color potential of pastel.

Degas, renowned for documenting scenes of Parisian life, often turned his focus from public spectacle to intimate moments of female solitude and the private toilette. Unlike his Impressionist peers who frequently painted idealized nudes outdoors, Degas depicted his subjects indoors, capturing candid, almost photographic poses as they bathed or dried themselves. This work, rooted firmly in 19th-century French culture, demonstrates the artist’s characteristic focus on depicting movement and capturing the weight and posture of the figures in a seemingly fleeting instant. The technique of layering the pastel gives the composition a rich texture and a sense of depth and immediacy unusual for a work classified solely as a drawing.

The long execution period, spanning a decade, suggests Degas may have revisited the composition multiple times, continuously refining the contours before finalizing the color application. This significant piece is today part of the distinguished permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. While the original drawing remains preserved in the museum, the enduring appeal of the subject ensures that high-quality prints, often based on digitized versions made available through public domain initiatives, continue to circulate, broadening access to this masterwork from France.