Edgar Degas

Vente : Atelier Edgar Degas, 3^ème vente, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, avril 1919, lot 298
Vente : Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 14 décembre 2003, lot 45
Acquis lors de cette vente par le propriétaire actuel

Hyogo Museum of Modern Art, Japon, La Beauté de l'Europe moderne, 1971, no. 19

Executed on thin wove paper, laid down on card. The edges are unevenly cut. The sheet has been extended by the artist. There are some artist pinholes along the lower edge and to the upper left corner, only visible under close inspection. The sheet is time-stained. There are few slight nicks to the edges and a tiny hole towards the lower right corner. There is some small undulation to the sheet due to the laid down process. This work is in good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

stamped 'Degas' (lower left); charcoal on paper laid down on cardboard. Executed circa 1896.

A partir des années 1880, l'un des principaux sujets de prédilection de Degas devient la femme nue saisie dans son intimité de tous les jours : se baignant, se lavant, se faisant peigner, s'essuyant la nuque ou encore se séchant les pieds, comme c'est le cas dans ce fusain, à la fois puissant et raffiné. Que cela soit dans ses œuvres au crayon, au fusain ou dans celles plus colorées au pastel, l'artiste s'attache à un rendu naturaliste des corps, représentant ses modèles dans un réalisme sans fard. Dans les multiples nus qu'il dépeint, Degas s'intéresse rarement au visage. Car, comme dans ses représentations des danseuses, ce qui préoccupe avant tout l'artiste, c'est la forme, les volumes, la pesanteur des corps, le mouvement. 

En dépit du caractère prosaïque de cette scène intime, qui semble avoir été saisie sur le vif par le peintre, Degas réussit, par sa technique admirable, à donner à son modèle une grâce, une majesté, un sentiment d'éternité. Ainsi que le souligne très justement Octave Mirbeau, Degas parvient à "dégager [...] d'une forme la pure essence". Paul Valéry, dans son essai consacré à Degas (Degas, danse, dessin, 1938) rendra le plus bel hommage qui soit à cette série des nus après le bain de Degas : "Pas de volupté là, pas de sentimentalité ici, des mouvements exquis ou grotesques et une beauté étrangement neuve qui s'annonce."

 

In the 1880s, the naked female figure became one of Degas’s preferred subjects, captured in the intimacy of everyday scenes, washing, bathing, combing her hair, drying her neck or drying her feet as is the case of this superb and refined drawing. Whether working in pencil, charcoal or coloured pastels, Degas endeavored to create a naturalistic representation of the body, depicting his models with unembellished realism. In the many nudes he portrayed, Degas was rarely concerned with the face. As in his pictures of dancers, the artist was above all interested in rendering the form, volume, weight and movement of the body.

Despite the prosaic character of this intimate scene, which seems to have been captured from life by the painter, Degas succeeded in endowing his model with grace, majesty, and a feeling of eternity thanks to his admirable technique. As Octave Mirbeau justly pointed out, Degas succeeds in “drawing out […] the pure essence of a form.” Paul Valéry, in his essay dedicated to Degas (Degas, danse, dessin, 1938), gave the most beautiful homage to this series of nudes after bathing by Degas: “No voluptuousness here, no sentimentality either, exquisite or grotesque movement and a strangely new beauty declares itself.”