Description
In Leaving the Bath, Degas places a bather near the center with cloth and figures on either side. The small scene gathers several bodily positions into a close interior arrangement. Strong diagonal marks cross the printed field, becoming another visible layer over the subject. Beneath them, the contrast of dark surroundings and lighter forms keeps the action readable, giving an ordinary transition after bathing a concentrated visual presence.
The print dates from 1879–80 and combines drypoint with aquatint. The Met’s impression belongs to the fifteenth of at least twenty-two states, showing how extensively Degas reconsidered the plate. Linear work and areas of tone could be altered separately, changing the balance between figure and setting. The resulting image is both a study of a bather and a record of sustained printmaking experiment, shaped through repeated decisions about light and form.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Edgar Degas collection.
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